CW: Fillicide & Suicide
The tragic murder-suicide in Mosman Park, Perth, Australia, where two parents took the lives of their autistic sons, their pets, and then themselves, forces society to confront the gaps in its support systems. It is heartbreaking, but it also highlights a larger issue: families pushed to their limits by inadequate disability services, exhaustion, and years of feeling overlooked. Friends and former support workers described the parents as loving and devoted, yet overwhelmed by the constant demands of caring for two autistic sons.
The family struggled for years with the National Disability Insurance Scheme, facing inconsistent support, sudden funding cuts, and bureaucratic battles that exhausted even the strongest caregivers. Those close to them talked about sleep deprivation, financial stress, and a growing fear about the future.
Police found notes suggesting the parents had planned their deaths, and there were no signs of violence or conflict in the home. The community responded with sorrow and disbelief, leaving flowers and messages outside the house and organizing a candlelight vigil. Many who knew the family stressed that this was not a case of malice but of despair, a collapse years in the making due to a lack of meaningful support.
As alarming as this case is, it is not unique to Australia. Similar tragedies have happened in Canada, the United Kingdom, and across Europe, where families caring for disabled children often face long waitlists, inconsistent funding, and few respite options.
In developed nations, the United States has the highest rate of child murders, with most of those committed by a parent. Perpetrators of filicide make up about 2.5 percent of homicide arrests each year in the U.S., accounting for roughly 500 arrests annually.
These figures are troubling on their own, but they become even more concerning when a disability is involved. Filicide occurs at disproportionately high rates among disabled children. A study by the University of California, Irvine, documented 26 disabled children killed by their parents in 22 news articles from 1982 to 2010. Of those children, 81 percent were boys, and over half—54 percent—were autistic.
Isolation is another common theme in these tragedies, with many families withdrawing from their communities as caregiving demands grow and support becomes harder to find.
When society fails to provide these supports, tragedies are more likely. Preventing tragedies like the one in Perth requires a change in perspective. The child is the victim of violence, and they deserve care and protection.
It’s crucial to understand the pressures caregivers face, but this cannot overshadow the fact that disabled children have inherent worth and the right to safety. Holding offenders accountable is essential, not because of cruelty, but because justice matters. Excusing violence simply ensures it will happen again.
These realities do not explain or justify anything, but they reveal a pattern: families caring for disabled children often face pressures that go unrecognized until it is too late. The Perth tragedy highlights the urgent need for systems that do more than exist on paper. Families in crisis need consistent funding, available services, and mental health support that does not require navigating complex rules.
Disabled people and their families need communities that do not disappear when caregiving becomes tough. Most importantly, support should be available before reaching a breaking point. Leon and Otis deserved to live with.
Their deaths reflect not their autism, but the surrounding failures. If this tragedy encourages a deeper conversation about how communities support disabled people and their families, then perhaps some good can come from this unbearable loss.
Sources:
Coorg, Rohini, and Anne Tournay. “Filicide-Suicide Involving Children with Disabilities.” Journal of Child Neurology, vol. 28, no. 6, 2013, pp. 745–751. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073812451777.
Issa, Omayra. “25 Years after Conviction, Robert Latimer Still Believes He Was Right to Kill His Daughter.” CBC News, CBC/Radio-Canada, 15 Nov. 2019, www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5360711.
Pettenuzzo, Laura. “This Was No Act of Love. Autism Is Not a Justification for Murder.” The Sydney Morning Herald, Nine Entertainment Co., 5 Feb. 2026, www.smh.com.au/national/this-was-not-an-act-of-love-autism-is-not-a-justification-for-murder-20260204-p5nzo2.html.
Resnick, Phillip J. “Filicide in the United States.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 58, suppl. 2, 2016, pp. S203–S209. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.196845.