Police divers have recovered the body of a seven-year-old girl from waters at Concord in Sydney’s inner west, hours after her father was found dead near a drifting boat in the same bay.
The discovery has turned a large-scale search around Bayview Park into a broader investigation into how the pair came to be in the water. New South Wales Police said the man, aged in his 40s, and the child had been seen in a small boat shortly before emergency services were called to the area on Saturday.
Search began after father found in water
Emergency services were called shortly before 11:45am after a member of the public on a boat saw a man in the water off Bayview Park at Concord. Police from Burwood Police Area Command attended and used a member of the public’s vessel to reach the small boat involved.
Officers pulled the man from the water, but he could not be revived. Police later established that a young girl who had been with him was missing, prompting an urgent search of the bay and surrounding foreshore.
A command post was set up at the scene and specialist resources were deployed. The operation involved the Marine Area Command, police divers and the Police Aviation Command. Police said the child’s body was located about 5:30pm.
Mother notified as police examine boat
Superintendent Christine McDonald said the father and daughter were believed to be from the Westmead area. Formal identification processes were still under way, but the girl’s mother had been notified and officers were providing support as the investigation continued.
Police said they had also received a call from a friend of the man who was concerned about the pair’s welfare. According to police, that call was made about an hour after the incident had already unfolded.
The hired boat has been secured and is being forensically examined. Investigators are considering all possibilities, including whether the deaths were the result of an accident, an intentional act, or were connected to domestic violence. Police have not made any public finding about the cause of the incident.
Community praised for helping responders
Superintendent McDonald described the deaths as “an absolute tragedy” for the family and the wider community. She also commended the person who alerted police and allowed officers to use his boat during the first response, saying he had shown courage by acting quickly to help.
The incident drew a significant emergency response to Bayview Park, a waterfront reserve on Burwood Road used by local residents and boaters. Police tape was placed around parts of the area while officers and specialist crews worked from the shore and on the water.
Investigators are expected to continue piecing together the movements of the father and daughter before they entered the water. That work will likely include witness statements, forensic examination of the boat and a review of any available CCTV or marine activity in the area.
Investigation remains ongoing
Police have urged anyone with information about the movements of the pair, or who was on or near the water at Concord on Saturday, to come forward. Information can be provided to local police or through Crime Stoppers.
For now, authorities are emphasising that the family is being supported and that the precise circumstances remain under investigation. No charges have been announced, and police have not identified the father or daughter publicly.
The deaths have left a sombre scene at the inner-west bay, where a routine weekend day became the focus of an intensive search and recovery operation. Police say further information will be released when it is appropriate and when investigators have a clearer understanding of what occurred.