Brisbane Father Charged With the Murder of Six-year-old Daughter

A Brisbane father wanted for questioning was charged with the murder of his six-year old daughter and attempted murder of his eight-year-old daughter late last night.

Police found Stephen Playford,an international mining entrepreneur, on the Gold Coast hinterland yesterday after a citizen reported strange activity involving a parked car.

The 52 year-old father was seen leaving his Kedron home at 5am yesterday morning, hours before his daughter, Sydney, was discovered dead in her bed by her mother.

The 36-year-old mother called authorities, but on their arrival they determined the girl had been dead for some hours in the bedroom she shared with her sister.

The death was treated as suspicious, a crime scene was established and police appealed to the whereabouts of the girl’s father who had been driving a Mercedes Benz 4WD.

The cause of death was undetermined, police told media yesterday.

“There’s no immediate cause of death and we’re treating the whole death as very, very serious,” detective superintendent Geoff Sheldon told Nine News.

Toxicology tests are yet to be performed, and it is believed investigators will look at whether strangulation or suffocation played a part in the death.

The girl’s mother and sister were taken to a police station.

“As you can imagine they are just beside themselves with grief,” Det Supt Sheldon said.

“We’re trying to assist them as best we can and come to a speedy resolution as to what has gone on here today.”

Neighbours of the family were shocked by the events of yesterday, describing the family of four as loving and close.

“It’s a really lovely neighbourhood and it’s very sad you don’t expect it to happen here,” neighbour Katrina Marlow told The Herald Sun.

“The kids got on so well with the rest of the families in the area,” she said.

Another neighbour in the same street said the family had kept to themselves.

“I didn’t know much about them I just saw the car drive past,” she said. “I saw the mother drive the girls to school occasionally.”

The neighbour said eight police cars arrived in the street just after 8am and police began gathering information from residents.

Police said there was no history of violence in the family. The man will face court at Southport later today.