Mother Of 7 Murdered Children In Cairns, Australia, Is Arrested

The mother of seven of the eight children found dead in a home in Cairns, Australia, was arrested for the murders Friday night, authorities said Saturday morning local time. She has not yet been charged, but police are not looking for another suspect, according to Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar.

The 37-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was found Friday at the house with the bodies of the children. She had stab wounds. Authorities have not yet said how the children died. Police found multiple knives in the house. The murdered children were between the ages of 18 months and 14 years, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We’re comfortable that the community is safe and there’s no need for concern,” said Asnicar to reporters at the scene. He said the police had had no earlier problems with the family.

The children were reportedly found by their older brother, a 20-year-old man, when he came to the house on Friday morning, according to the BBC.

The mother is being treated at Cairns Hospital and is under police guard. Despite her wounds, she was “awake, lucid and able to speak,” according to Asnicar. He called the scene at the house “extremely distressing.” Experts were brought in to comfort community members and officers who responded to the scene.

A candlelight vigil was held Friday night. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the deaths “an unspeakable crime.” He said the killings, which came just days after two people died when a gunmen took them hostage in Sydney, made for “trying days for our country,” according to the Cairns Post.