A 79-year-old man shot his wife and adult daughter, called triple zero and turned the gun on himself in a suspected double-murder-suicide that shocked a small Queensland suburb, police believe.
The call, about 6.40am on Thursday, alerted emergency services to the "traumatic" scene they discovered at an acreage home on Queensland's Fraser Coast.
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Police said John Frescura's 50-year-old daughter, Robyn, was found dead at the scene, while paramedics rushed him and 68-year-old wife, Janice, to Hervey Bay Hospital.
Mrs Frescura died shortly after and within hours police fronted the media outside the city's police station to confirm the suspected shooter's death as well.
They were treating the incident as a "domestic-related incident", with no one else believed to be involved.
The women's deaths were suspicious while the man's was not, police said.
"The early indication is that it's a domestic-related incident and one of those three persons are responsible for the injuries that led to the deaths of all three persons," Detective Inspector David Briese said, confirming police were treating the incident as a double-murder-suicide.
Police found a gun at the scene and reportedly took two dogs away in the hours after the shooting.
"In short, it was a traumatic scene," Inspector Briese said.
"Obviously three persons had been shot and (it was) quite traumatic for the first response officers and emergency service workers."
As forensics officers combed over the River Heads Road address, Inspector Briese said he didn't believe police had ever been called out to the residence for a domestic violence issue before.
"It's shocking and traumatic for the community, for the emergency service responders and obviously for family and friends of the family," he said.
Tiny Booral sits on the mainland coast about 14 kilometres out of the Hervey Bay CBD, protected from the ocean by Heritage-listed Fraser Island and the mangrove-lined Great Sandy Strait.
With less than 2000 residents, spread throughout what remained a relatively rural area, residents often kept to themselves.
"This is the quietest place that you could live," Community Association former president Derek Lawton told the Fraser Coast Chronicle.
"It's where you come to leave everything behind.
"There is no noise except for the sound of a lawnmower and the birds.
"Basically nothing happens here.
"It's just a lovely area."
Nearby residents to whom Fairfax Media spoke were just as shocked. They didn't know the family well but described them as quiet and said they'd never heard any problems.
"The strange thing is we didn't hear anything, didn't notice it and yet you hear firearms at times around here," one said.
"I feel disappointed that none of us were able to recognise it.
"You never know what is going on, it's sad.
"My condolences go out to family and relatives."
Another neighbour was said to be speaking to Mr Frescura just Wednesday morning.
"He said to us everything was normal. It didn't look ... out of place or anything," another nearby resident said.
Police now face the confronting task of piecing together exactly what happened to prepare a report for the coroner.
Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by calling Lifeline 13 11 14, Mensline 1300 789 978, Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.
Anyone who needs to talk to somebody about domestic violence can call DV Connect on 1800 811 811 24 hours a day, seven days a week.