Police Believe Man And Baby Dying At Aussie Tourist Attraction Was A Tragic Murder-Suicide

Police investigating the death of a man and his nine-month-old baby at South Australia's Whispering Wall believe it's a tragic murder suicide.

Emergency services were called to the tourist attraction north of Adelaide yesterday afternoon after people saw the duo fall 36 metres to their death.

However, witnesses have since told police they actually saw the man jump over the railing and had the baby close to his chest.

Formal identification is yet to be completed, however 7News reports police believe they know the man as Henry Shepherdson, 38, and his daughter was called Kobi.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said at a press conference: "Our very early investigation has shown some history of domestic violence involved with this family.

"We have been speaking with the mother in relation to this matter, and no one else is being sought in relation to these deaths.

"This is a highly distressing and emotional incident that has and is affecting people who witnessed this incident, those who tried to help Kobi, emergency services personnel, family and friends."

When paramedics arrived at the site in Williamstown yesterday, they found the man's body and the baby was unresponsive. Sadly, the newborn couldn't be revived.

South Australia Police have released a statement explaining how they attended the scene.

"Police and emergency services were called to the Whispering Wall after witnesses reported seeing a man and infant go over the edge of the wall and fall to the ground," police said.

The incident has sparked an outpouring of grief in the community, with many locals shocked.

Lorraine March told The Advertiser: "I think people will be terribly sad and disheartened that this has happened in this little township."

Local MP Stephan Knoll added to ABC Radio Adelaide: "It is just heartbreaking. It does hit everybody hard and we all do need to band together. But that's the beauty of a community like the Barossa.

"Whenever these things happen, we do what we can to look after each other."

The Whispering Wall has been an attraction site for years as people flock to try out its unique ability to spread sound.

Due to the curvature of the dam and where it's located, people can stand on opposite ends of the wall and whisper something and have it heard crystal clear by the other person.

Featured Image Credit: denisbin (Flickr)

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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