‘Lovely couple’ torn apart: Husband is charged with murder after the body of his wife of 44 years is found in the garage of their immaculate home
- Erlinda Songcuan, 69, found dead at home in Woodcroft, Sydney, on Saturday
- Husband Engracio Songcuan, 73, arrested at train station, charged with murder
- Daughter said couple were happy and family was searching for answers
- Couple always smiled lovingly in happy photos posted on social media
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A devastated daughter had not seen her mother in months because of coronavirus before she was allegedly murdered by her husband.
Erlinda Songcuan, 69, a mother-of-four, was found dead in the garage of her home in Woodcroft in western Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
Her husband of 44 years Engracio Songcuan, 73, was arrested two hours later about 3.30pm at Richmond train station and charged with murder.
Ms Songcuan’s daughter Anna said the whole family was shocked as the couple had not been fighting and had no history of violence.
Erlinda Songcuan, 69, a mother-of-four, was found dead in the garage of her home and her husband of 44 years Engracio Songcuan, 73, charged with murder
Ms Songcuan was found dead in the couple’s garage, next to the perfectly maintained garden they built from scratch after buying the house in 2003
However, Anna had not seen the retired couple in a few months due to coronavirus restrictions on visiting adult family members.
‘We’re still processing, we’re very shocked, this has come out of the blue,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We’re trying to piece things together to figure out what happened, we have no answers.’
The couple’s social media pages are filled with loving happy snaps with comments from friends saying what a ‘lovely couple’ they were.
‘She was a good mother, she just did everything for everyone,’ Anna said.
The couple’s son-in-law was among distressed family members who filed in to the home on Sunday morning.
‘They’ve lost both parents at this stage,’ he told reporters.
Their daughter Anna said the whole family was shocked as the couple (pictured) had not been fighting and had no history of violence
The couple’s social media pages are filled with loving happy snaps with comments from friends saying what a ‘lovely couple’ they were
Mr and Mrs Songcuan showed off their perfectly manicured front garden as recently as January, which they built from scratch since buying the house in 2003.
But on Saturday forensic officers were combing through the property looking for clues to explain why the happy marriage allegedly went sour.
A police helicopter found the family car at Blacktown train station, where it was allegedly driven by Songcuan.
Court documents said he was accused of murdering his wife between 1.08pm and 1.14pm, about the time a family member called police to the home.
Songcuan did not apply for bail in Parramatta Court on Sunday and was remanded in custody until he faces court again later this week.
Mr and Mrs Songcuan showed off their perfectly manicured front garden as recently as January