Father breaks silence after wife and two children die in tragic drowning
Hoai Nguyen, 32, and her two children, Mitchell, 7, and Hazel, 5, were enjoying a day out at Shearer Park in south-west Sydney, and were walking down to a small pier on the waterfront before they were spotted struggling in the Georges River about 10.15am on Saturday.
Hoai was pulled to shore shortly afterwards, but despite desperate attempts by rescuers and bystanders she could not be revived.
The bodies of the two children were recovered a few hours later, metres from a jetty.
The children's father, Dinh Nguyen, had been at work during the incident and only found out about the tragedy when police showed up at his house.
He has since broken his silence, and told The Sydney Morning Herald that his wife was navigating a mental illness prior to her death.
“She has bipolar disorder, and she has some ups and some downs,” he told the publication.
“She takes medicine. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
He also recalled one of the last conversations the couple had, the night prior to the tragedy.
“She told me the last night she didn’t sleep so she wanted to stay at home,” he said.
According to The Daily Telegraph, detectives are now probing whether the incident was premeditated as they continue their investigations into the tragedy.
The southwest Sydney community has since rallied around the family's loved ones, with bouquets of flowers and tributes seen at the riverbank as part of a growing memorial.
A close friend of the family, Sarah Vu, has also organised a GoFundMe page for the family which has since raised over $60,600 of their $40,000 goal.
“I sincerely thank the entire community for their contributions,” she wrote in a social media tribute on Monday.
“The family have decided to bring Hoai and the kids back to Vietnam.
“The fund has currently exceeded my expectations, but I will keep the link open for anyone who still wants to donate.”
"All we can do now is pray for you and the little ones to depart peacefully,” she added with a video of two young kids holding hands and skipping down a street together.
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Images: Facebook/ GoFundMe