In a final heartbreaking display of unity, allegedly murdered Rockhampton mother Tayla Cox and daughter Murphy Margaret were farewelled in a single coffin at their funeral service.
Tayla, 30, and 11-week-old Murphy were laid to rest together after their husband and father Mathew Cox allegedly killed them almost three weeks ago on August 8.
Hundreds of mourners packed Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and family paying tribute following their senseless deaths.
A memorial booklet filled with sweet photos of the pair read: ‘We love you both every day of your life and we will miss you for the rest of ours’.
The funeral notice for the mother and daughter described them as ‘precious and deeply loved’ by their devastated family and friends.
It also described a special bond between Ms Cox and Murphy Margaret.
Heartbroken family and friends gathered to farewell Rockhampton mother and daughter Tayla Cox and Murphy Margaret on Friday (pictured is the front of the memorial booklet)
Rockhampton mother Tayla Cox and daughter Murphy Margaret were farewelled in a single coffin at their funeral service (pictured)
Tayla Cox (right), 30, and her baby girl Murphy (centre) were found dead in their Rockhampton home on Thursday. Her husband, Matthew (left), has been charged with their murders
Hundreds of mourners packed Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and family paying tribute following their senseless deaths
The pair had met while working together at Flight Centre and began dating in 2015.
They were engaged in November 2018 and wed on the Gold Coast in May 2021.
Police initially visited the Rockhampton home for a welfare check after Cox attended the Fortitude Valley Police Station on August 10.
He allegedly drove to Rockhampton Airport in his wife’s white MG SUV and flew to Brisbane where he stayed two nights in the Constance Fortitude Valley hotel.
Ms Cox and and her daughter were later found dead in their Rockhampton home.
Cox was charged with two counts of murder on the night he handed himself.
Police said there was no previous history of domestic violence between the couple as Cox’s heartbroken parents broke their silence about the tragedy.
Cox’s parents, Denis and Linda Lind, released a statement earlier this month.
‘We have lost a beautiful daughter-in-law Tayla, but also our much-loved granddaughter Murphy,’ the couple wrote.
‘At this stage, we have very few other details and are in an absolute state of shock.’
‘We ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve and try and process what has occurred.’
A memorial booklet was filled with photos of the allegedly murdered mother and daughter
The single white casket is seen arriving to the Rockhampton Baptist Church on Friday
The funeral notice for the pair (pictured) described them as ‘precious and deeply loved’ by their devastated family and friends
Matthew and Tayla Cox (pictured during her pregnancy) were living in Victoria before they moved back to Rockhampton after purchasing their home in November 2022
Proud grandmother Linda (right) recently shared a photo posing with her son Matthew Cox (left) and his baby girl Murphy
His matters were first mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. He did not appear in court and remains behind bars at Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Cox was ordered to appear again on October 30 with a brief of evidence to be provided by October 9.
Police will allege Cox stayed at a Constance Street apartment complex in the Fortitude Valley before he handed himself into police, two days after the alleged murder.
After police attended the Rockhampton home, a crime scene was set up and multiple police, forensic and scientific officers attended the property over the coming days, combing every surface of the home.
Ms Cox, maiden name Black, grew up in Rockhampton and attended St Ursula’s College in nearby Yeppoon.
She was a repair coordinator for a construction company in the Rockhampton suburb of Berserker. She was on maternity leave at the time of her death.
‘Always be kind,’ her Facebook bio states.
She and Cox lived in Victoria for some time during their relationship and had been together for almost eight years, according to his Facebook.
They moved back to Rockhampton after purchasing their three bedroom Park Avenue home in November 2022.
The move came as Cox secured a job at a local radio station as his wife took to Facebook to celebrate the purchase of their new home.
‘New chapter, can’t wait to make so many amazing memories with our beautiful little family,’ Ms Cox wrote.
In February, she shared a happy snap of her husband cradling her baby bump while enjoying a break on Great Keppel Island.
‘We can’t wait to meet you,’ she wrote.
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