Three women aged 23, 70 and 90 were allegedly murdered in separate domestic and family violence incidents across New South Wales within 10 hours on Saturday, as police described domestic violence as the force’s “number one issue”.

Three men have now been charged with murder over the deaths in Wagga Wagga, Bondi Beach and Mole River on September 19.

The women were allegedly killed by men known to them. Police have said none of the three cases had previously come to their attention as domestic violence matters and there were no apprehended violence orders in place.

The deaths were followed by another suspected domestic violence incident in the Blue Mountains on Sunday, in which a five-year-old boy died, and two other children and a woman were critically injured.

The cases have renewed demands for urgent investment in domestic violence prevention and early intervention, with advocates warning Australia’s response remains heavily concentrated on crisis services after violence has already escalated.

A 23-year-old woman killed in Wagga Wagga

Emergency services were called to a home on Ziegler Avenue in Kooringal, a suburb of Wagga Wagga, at approximately 11.45 am on Saturday following reports that a woman had been stabbed.

NSW Ambulance paramedics and Riverina Police District officers performed CPR on the 23-year-old woman, but she died at the property.

Police were told a man had left before emergency services arrived. A 31-year-old man was arrested at another Wagga Wagga property almost nine hours later and charged with murder.

Police said the accused and the woman had been in a relationship. A suspected weapon was seized during the investigation.

Adam Mark Perrin did not apply for bail when he appeared before the NSW Bail Division Court and was remanded in custody. He is due to return to court in November.

The charge is an allegation and has not been proven in court.

Woman in her 90s allegedly killed at Bondi Beach

At approximately 5.15 pm, less than six hours after the Wagga Wagga incident, emergency services were called to an apartment on Chambers Avenue at Bondi Beach.

Police found 90-year-old Valentina Spivak with fatal injuries. Paramedics attempted to treat her, but she died at the scene.

Her grandson, 47-year-old Sergei Mitnik, was arrested at the property and charged with domestic violence-related murder.

Court documents reportedly allege Ms Spivak was strangled and stabbed 19 times. That account remains an allegation before the court.

Mitnik did not apply for release when he appeared via audiovisual link in the NSW Bail Division Court on Sunday. His solicitor raised concerns about his mental health and requested a psychiatric assessment.

He was remanded in custody and is expected to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.

Woman found dead at Mole River

Police were called to a property on Ironbark Road at Mole River, approximately 40 minutes west of Tenterfield, at about 9.35 pm following reports of a domestic violence incident.

Officers were told a 37-year-old man had allegedly entered one property, attempted to steal a vehicle and assaulted a 74-year-old male resident.

Police arrested the man before attending a neighbouring property, where they found the body of a 70-year-old woman. The house had also been partially damaged by fire.

Phillip John Denton was charged with murder and refused bail. Police allege he and the woman knew each other.

Media reports have identified the woman as his mother, although NSW Police initially described the pair only as known to each other.

The allegation has not been tested in court.

None of the cases was previously known to police

Acting NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said none of the three women had been known to police as domestic violence victim-survivors.

“None of them had AVOs in place, and none of them was on our radar,” he said.

McKenna urged relatives, friends and community members to report warning signs or concerns rather than waiting for the person experiencing violence to approach police.

“If they do have any information or any inkling of something occurring, please speak up,” he said.

Domestic violence accounts for approximately one in four adult court appearances in NSW, according to police, while prisons are holding large numbers of people convicted of domestic violence offences.

However, the absence of previous reports or protection orders does not necessarily mean there was no history of abuse. Domestic and family violence remains significantly under-reported, and many victim-survivors face barriers to seeking help or involving police.

The three cases also show that domestic and family violence is not limited to violence between current or former intimate partners. The allegations include the death of a young woman allegedly killed by her partner and two older women allegedly killed by family members.

Domestic Violence NSW said the deaths demonstrated that domestic violence had no age limit and did not cease to be a national emergency because it occurred behind closed doors.

Another family shattered in Blue Mountains incident

The three women’s deaths were followed by a separate suspected domestic violence incident at Valley Heights in the Blue Mountains on Sunday.

Emergency services found a woman in her 40s and three young children with stab wounds inside a vehicle on Waratah Road at approximately 12.45 pm.

A five-year-old boy died at the scene. Two other children and the woman were taken to hospital in critical condition.

Members of the public reportedly provided first aid before emergency services arrived. Police said they were not searching for another person in connection with the incident.

The Blue Mountains case remains under investigation and is separate from the three alleged murders on Saturday.

Leaders condemn “shocking” violence

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said she was horrified by the deaths of the three women and that the cases could not be allowed to become “background noise”.

“My thoughts are with their families, friends and communities, and with the police, paramedics and neighbours who responded,” she said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns also condemned the alleged killings as the state faced renewed pressure over its response to domestic and family violence.

Federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said ending violence required action across government and the broader community. The federal government has pointed to billions of dollars committed to frontline services, legal assistance, prevention programs and responses to high-risk perpetrators.

But advocates and researchers argue Australia continues to spend too much responding after violence reaches crisis point and too little on intervening before abusive behaviour escalates.

Former police officer and criminologist Professor Vincent Hurley said prevention programs directed at men who use or are at risk of using violence remained underfunded and subject to lengthy waiting lists.

Investment in perpetrator intervention should not come at the expense of women’s crisis accommodation, legal assistance or specialist services. Hurley argued it should be funded through broader health and social service systems as an additional part of Australia’s response.

National report warns crisis response is not enough

The deaths occurred shortly after the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission released its 2026 Yearly Report to Parliament.

The Commission found Australia had increased investment and strengthened specialist services but could not yet demonstrate that its national response was consistently improving safety.

It warned that government funding remained concentrated in crisis, emergency and justice responses after violence had escalated. While those services were essential, the Commission said crisis responses alone would not reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence.

The report called for greater investment in early intervention, including earlier work with men and boys using or at risk of using violence, stronger responses to emerging patterns of coercive control and better support for children affected by abuse.

It also called for coordinated access to housing, financial security, legal assistance, healthcare and counselling so victim-survivors could leave violence safely and rebuild their lives.

[Read our coverage of the Commission’s findings and recommendations.]

The three women were among 52 women reportedly killed through violence in Australia so far this year, according to Australian Femicide Watch. The organisation maintains a community-based count separate from official homicide statistics, and it can be revised as further information becomes available.

Three women allegedly killed within 10 hours should not be reduced to a statistic or remembered only as part of a “horror weekend”. Each was a person with a life, family and community now living with the consequences of violence.

The men charged are entitled to the presumption of innocence. Each case remains before the courts.

Support is available: Contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can contact 13YARN on 13 92 76. Men concerned about their behaviour can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491. In an emergency, call 000.