MBOMBELA – Police in Mpumalanga are investigating a triple murder as well as an inquest.

The investigation spiralled from a gruesome discovery of three bodies of young children aged eleven, six and three in a house at Breyten, near Ermelo.

Police say a preliminary investigation suggested that the children were murdered in a senseless manner in which their throats were slit. “Police were called to the scene after the mother of the children who was at work, found the shocking scene on her return. The sequence of events suggested that the father collected the children from school and allegedly murdered them. He then texted a message to the mother informing her that he had murdered the children and was going to end his life,” said police spokesperson, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi.

Subsequent to the message, news broke of a man who had thrown himself under a moving train and was badly injured. It later came forth that it was the father of the slain children.

The police in Mpumalanga are calling on community members to seek professional help when experiencing hardships.