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'Cried their hearts out': 'Broken' dad's emotional moment after Melbourne 'murder-suicide'

A Melbourne father who lost his wife and three children in a suspected murder-suicide cried his heart out with his in-laws following his family’s deaths.

Katie Perinovic, 42, and her children – seven-year-old Claire, five-year-old Anna and three-year-old Matthew – were found dead at a Tullamarine home on Thursday by 48-year-old husband and father Tomislav.

By Friday afternoon, police announced they had “formed the preliminary view that the 42-year-old woman is responsible for all four deaths”.

Speaking to the Sunday Herald Sun, family friend Frankie Franjic revealed Mr Perinovic and his wife’s parents “cried their hearts out”.

Pictured are Tomislav and Katie Perinovic with their children.
Tomislav and Katie Perinovic pictured with their children. Source: Facebook

“Katie’s parents have accepted the situation, their daughter has taken the lives of their three grandkids,” Mr Franjic said.

“They were giving each other hugs and condolences. It was a beautiful reunion under such awful circumstances.”

Mr Franjic said the Croatian community was supporting Mr Perinovic as much as they could, saying the father was a “broken man – totally broken”.

Neighbours Daniel and Vicki Schembri heard the police cars pull up to the Burgess Street home on Thursday and saw Mr Perinovic sitting outside his home just moments after he discovered the bodies.

Ms Schembri told The Age he was “numb”.

The deaths shook the Tullamarine community, with locals laying flowers outside the home.

A child leaves a tribute at the makeshift memorial outside the Tullamarine home.
The local community is supporting father Tomislav whose wife and three children were found dead following a suspected murder-suicide. Source: AAP

Images from the home in Melbourne’s northwest also showed the innocent drawings reportedly done by Claire stuck to the window as Victoria Police detectives scoured the scene.

A clearer shot of the seven-year-old’s art was published by Daily Mail Australia.

One of the drawings show what appears to be the earth and says, “Save the world”, along with a love heart.

A second faded drawing looks to be a rainbow.

Claire attended St Christopher's Primary School in Airport West, while sister Anna was about to start at the same school in the coming weeks.

“Claire was a kind, diligent, and much-loved student at St Christopher’s, and we were looking forward to welcoming Anna, with her huge smile, into prep to begin her school journey in just a couple of weeks’ time,” Principal Adrian Glasby told The Age.

Mr Glasby said the school community was shocked by the tragic deaths and the school was providing parents with advice on how to support their children, in addition to providing counselling to staff and families.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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