Suspected murder-suicide

killed themselves, a phenomenon known as filicide-suicide. Of those, nine were killed by their mother and seven by their father.

In total for that period, 60 people were killed by someone who then took their own life. Gunshots were the most common cause of death.

Counsellor and author Rhonda Pritchard, who has carried out one of the country’s only studies into filicide-suicide, said that in such cases the person often thought of their children as part of themselves.

‘‘They don’t quite distinguish between their own state and their own needs and those of their children. If they feel despairing them

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selves, then they have this idea about staying together – it is a ‘we are all in this together’ idea. The ultimate romantic fantasy that ‘beyond death we will be together’ is a theme for some people.’’

She said Rangihuna’s alleged sexual offending, which was not against his wife or children, could have engendered a sense of humiliation for Tibble, and his death a sense of unbearable loss that often accompanied filicidesuicide.

‘‘It would be understandable if she felt both the unbearable loss but also the humiliation and exposure that she would have had to suffer as well.’’

Pritchard said such cases were rare and very hard to predict. Offenders often had no history of mental illness or violence.

‘‘People do not believe anyone would do that to their children ... so they ignore or do not believe the despairing voice or expression of despair. If we understood it is possible, the worst can happen, it may be easier to prevent.’’