A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21994, 1 July 1933, Page 12

A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY

MOTHER AND CHILD DEAD

FATHER RESCUED FROM DROWNING

(Per Unitod Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, June 30,

The drowning of a five-year-old boy at Point Halswell early this morning and the rescue of his father from the water at Thorndon this aftexaioon led the police to visit a flat in Wellington, where they found the dead body of the child’s mother. The victims are:

Dead—Mrs Janes, aged about 40, and her fivc-year-old son. At Hospital—George Janes, aged 54.

The flat in which the three persons lived is at the bottom of a three-storeyed house at 27 Ohiro road. The bottom storey is well below the level of the road. While gathering mussels in the vicinity of Point Halswell shortly after mid-day to-day a man found the body of the child on the rocks at about high-water mark. Apparently the boy had been drowned some time earlier in the morning. The boy’s parents were not known until several hours later.

At about 1.30 p.m. cries were heard from a man struggling in the water near the Thorndon breastwork. Men nearny pulled him out in an unconscious condition and he was taken to hospital, where he was identified as George Janes. He is making satisfactory progress.

The police connected neither the child nor the man with the house at Ohiro road until an occupant of the top flat, hearing of a man named Janes being found In the harbour, rang the station. When a constable arrived at the bottom flat they found the dead body of Mrs Janes.

It is understood that the neighbours heard cries from a woman and a child in the fiat just before 7 o’clock this morning. The. cries lasted for about four minutes, hut as there were no shouts for help no attempt was made to interfere. A little later a man and a child were seen leaving the house. The three occupants had been living in the house for only a fortnight. The body of the woman will remain at the house to-night guarded by two constables.