A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and attempted unlawful killing after his mother was found dead and his sister seriously wounded in their home in Bentley, south-east Perth, on Tuesday morning. Western Australia police confirmed the charges on Wednesday, stating the boy was taken into custody at the scene and is due before the Perth Children’s Court.

The 35-year-old mother’s body was discovered by officers responding to emergency calls from the residence around 6:15 a.m. The 12-year-old girl, also stabbed, managed to flee approximately 600 metres to Albany Highway in Cannington, where bystanders provided first aid. She was transported to Perth Children’s Hospital and remains in a critical but stable condition, according to medical sources.

Police are treating the incident as a suspected family violence homicide. Detective Acting Inspector Jessica Securo said the three family members lived together and that the boy was known to police; detectives are reviewing previous interactions the family had with authorities. A source close to the family told a Sydney newspaper that the boy had been before the justice system multiple times and that the family, allegedly known to the state’s child protection system, had sought support without success. The source described the boy’s “transient lifestyle” since age 10 or 11 and said, “He was failed by the courts.”

The precise motive remains unclear, and police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. No other suspects are being sought, and authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the community. The investigation is in its early stages, and the boy’s court appearance is expected to provide further legal clarity.