A heartbroken father and husband left behind following a tragic murder-suicide has taken to social media to express his devastation.
Lochlan Bond, 9, was found dead alongside his mother Erica Bond, 47, on Tuesday afternoon at their home in Wyongah, on the New South Wales Central Coast.
On Wednesday, a shattered Andrew Bond penned a brief but powerful Facebook tribute: ‘Words cannot explain. My angels. Deeply loved,’ he wrote.
Detectives are now probing into Ms Bond’s ‘history of anxiety and depression’ in a bid to piece together the tragedy, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Andrew Bond (pictured with wife Erica) is heartbroken following the deaths of his wife and son at their NSW Central Coast home on Tuesday
Images show Lochlan Bond trying sushi for the first time (pictured), swimming with his father, playing golf and hanging out with friends at a local skate park
A neighbour said the boy’s grandmother screamed for help after discovering the bodies.
Lochlan is believed to have been in his bedroom and Ms Bond in a shed outside.
Ms Bond, who was well-known in the local community, shared several chilling Facebook posts about depression in the lead-up to her death.
One of her last updates was a shared video about suicide awareness and prevention which encouraged men to speak about their feelings.
Another message shared on July 10 read: ‘Depression is REAL. People can smile all day and still be broken inside.’
A second post shared that same day said ‘the hardest part of being a parent is watching a child go through something really tough and not being able to fix it for them.’
Heartbreaking family photos document Lochlan’s happy childhood.
Just last month Ms Bond uploaded a photo of her smiling son to Facebook captioned ‘What a handsome young man’ with a red love heart.
Other images show him trying sushi for the first time, swimming with his father, playing golf and hanging out with friends at a local skate park.
Lochlan Bond (pictured, left) was found dead alongside his mother Erica Bond (pictured, right), 47, on Tuesday afternoon at their home in Wyongah on the New South Wales Central Coast
During his innocent childhood in Wyongah, almost 100km north of Sydney, Lochlan (pictured with his father) rode quadbikes and painted his face as Dracula on New Year’s Eve
‘I tried and tried and did succeed to get Lochie to finally eat Sushi,’ his mother wrote alongside one Facebook photo.
Ms Bond took photos of the family during trips to the beach and Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and of Lochlan and another boy with showbags from the Royal Easter Show.
Lochlan also enjoyed trips to the beach, laser tag, riding his scooter and bicycle, and was a keen athlete who excelled at long jump, running and discus.
During his innocent childhood in Wyongah, about 100km north of Sydney, Lochlan rode quadbikes and painted his face as Dracula on New Year’s Eve.
Just last month Ms Bond uploaded a photo of her smiling son to Facebook captioned ‘What a handsome young man’ (pictured)
He owned four pet budgerigars, and can be seen sleeping alongside one of the family’s two dogs.
In 2016 Lochlan won three events at the Tuggerawong Public School athletic carnival, and came third in two others.
The champion runner also received an award for breaking the school record in the 7-year-old boys’ 100m sprint, finishing in 17.56 seconds.
Ellen Smith, the mother of one of Lochlan’s close friends, said the tragedy had left her in shock, and described the nine-year-old as ‘sweet and talkative’.
Ms Bond (pictured, left) worked at Kooindah Waters Golf Club as a golf shop and drinks cart assistant, and was a passionate golfer herself (Lochlan Bond is pictured, right)
‘How do I explain to my boy his best mate has passed away? How do you explain that to a 13-year-old?’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘I can’t stop the tears streaming down my son’s face, it’s going to hit him hard being in his classroom,’ another mother wrote on Facebook.
Henry Sun-Woo, a retiree who lives at the golf club where Ms Bond worked, said he saw her on Sunday and said the incident was hard to believe.
‘It’s not possible. She [Ms Bond] loves him [Lochlan] so much. I never saw her do anything bad towards her own son. She’s always taking care of him,’ he said.
‘I am absolutely shocked at this, how could that happen? That cannot be. I’m shocked. I see them as a happy family.’
Lochlan owned four pet budgerigars, and can be seen sleeping alongside one of the family’s two dogs (pictured)
Lochlan also enjoyed trips to the beach, laser tag, riding his bicycle (pictured) and was a keen athlete
Nine-year-old Lochlan (pictured, right) loved riding his scooter with friends at local skate park
On Tuesday night the school posted a message to parents and carers offering support for students in the aftermath of the tragedy.
‘By now many of you would have heard that one of our students and parent has passed away,’ Principal Grant McFarland said.
‘I wanted to confirm that the school will be open tomorrow and that we are ensuring that significant additional support is available for any student who may need it tomorrow and over the coming days.
‘The staff and I appreciate the tremendous support of our parents and our broader school community at this challenging time.
Tuggerah Lakes Police Acting Inspector Matt Kelly confirmed the tragic deaths were the result of a murder-suicide (pictured is Lochlan Bond)
Ms Bond was a keen golfer, and several of her photos show Lochlan (pictured) enjoying the sport
‘Our heartfelt thoughts are with our much valued students’ family and friends at this time.’
Ms Bond worked at Kooindah Waters Golf Club as a golf shop and drinks cart assistant, and was a passionate golfer herself.
Wyong state MP David Harris took to Twitter on Tuesday night to publicly express his condolences.
‘My condolences to the family and friends of those involved in the tragic deaths in Wyongah today. Very sad to hear. A real tragedy,’ he tweeted.
Tuggerah Lakes Police Acting Inspector Matt Kelly confirmed the tragic deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, the Express Advocate reported.
Lochlan received an award for breaking the school record in the 7-year-old boys’ 100m sprint, finishing in 17.56 seconds
In 2016 Lochlan won three events at the Tuggerawong Public School athletic carnival, and came third in two others
On Tuesday night the school posted a message to parents and carers offering support for students in the aftermath of the tragedy
‘Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding their deaths but no other parties are being sought in relation to this incident,’ New South Wales Police said.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
A GoFundMe page set up on Wednesday to support Mr Bond has already raised more than $2750.
‘I’ve set up this site for any friends of the Bond family who would like to help Andrew through this tragic time, any help would be much appreciated,’ a friend wrote.
If you or anyone need someone to talk to, contact Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
• Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
• Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
• MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78
If you need an interpreter to help you get in touch with any of the above services, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450
A crime scene was established at the house, where police remained on Tuesday night