Sydney: teenager strangled, Iranian father dead

Jan 4, 2008, Telegraph:

POLICE are 'baffled' over the apparent murder-suicide of a father and his teenage daughter in Sydney's north-west last night.

Neighbours were alerted to the tragedy by the "howling screams" of the 13-year-old girl's mother, who made the gruesome discovery shortly after 6pm ...

"It's a tragedy, a young girl, 13, just at the beginning of her life. It's just a straight out tragedy, a family tragedy."

He said there were indications that the teenager had been strangled, but said police were awaiting the post-mortem examination results later today ...

It is understood the family were originally from Iran and had signed a two-year lease on the property three months ago.

"My friend heard a howling kind of scream. She said it sounded like a really sorrowful cry," another neighbour told The Daily Telegraph last night.

Another resident said the family were very private and reclusive.

"They were very quiet people, pretty passive but this afternoon they were arguing big time and shouting at each other," the man said.

"There was no bangs to indicate a shooting." ...

SMH:

The residents of a quiet street in north-west Sydney where a father is believed to have strangled his daughter and then taken his own life say they heard arguing from the house and a single scream shortly before police arrived last night ...

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said he heard two people arguing shortly before the mother arrived home.

"I heard people arguing and then someone screamed,'' he said.

"When the mother got home she was hysterical, screaming in the front garden and shouting for nearly half an hour.'' ...

NSW Police:

At this stage investigators believe there is no third-party involvement in the deaths.

Telegraph:

Only the day before the deaths, neighbour Raymond Cheung had shared a joke with the bubbly teenager as she sat in the driver's seat of her father's car in the driveway.

He said the girl's father had driven his only daughter to and from Pennant Hills High School every day.

While the girl always said "good morning" or "hello", he said her father was "strange and silent", only ever nodding his head at neighbours.

Police said the Iranian family was well-educated and long-time Australian residents, although they had only recently moved into the area ...

news.com.au:

"I know they moved in a few months ago and I saw the man, and he was very quiet and looked gentle," one neighbour told the Ten Network.

Baffling, isn't it? Bubbly teenager, strange and silent father. What could they have been arguing about? Poor kid. Probably caught between two diverse worlds. Yet another victim of diversity?

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