A community is grieving the loss of a beloved Year 5 teacher and her one-year-old daughter, as the family of a beer-loving, ocean data scientist calls for an end to speculation while he remains under police guard in hospital.
Windaroo State School staff member Kate Paterson, 38, and little April were found with fatal stab wounds on Thursday morning at a Belivah home south of Brisbane.
Their bodies were found after cops rushed to the scene of a road accident early on Thursday morning.
Father Dr Blake Seers, 39, was hit by a car when he ran into traffic on the nearby main road after fleeing from the home with his throat slit.
A 300m-long trail of blood led the officers – intending just to alert next of kin of the accident – to the horrific scene inside the home.
Now fresh details of little April’s parents have emerged as detectives try to unravel the mystery of what actually happened inside the house of horror.
Locals say the mother-of-one was beloved by her students, with the community organising a candlelit flower vigil in her memory on Friday night.
‘My heart breaks for all involved, and (for) mum and bub,’ one parent wrote on social media.
Kate Paterson was found dead in her suburban Belivah home with her one-year-old April
Ms Paterson and her husband Dr Blake Seers were seen walking in the neighbourhood with April just hours before the incident
Police had initially rushed to the home after reports of a pedestrian with a neck wound who was hit by a car on Beaudesert Beenleigh Road at Bannockburn about 7.30am on Thursday
‘But also watching my daughter grieve the loss of her teacher makes my heart break.’
Another parent at Windaroo State School wrote: ‘It’s clear she was a kind and caring person who meant a lot to many. This loss has deeply shaken our community.’
Teaching was in the blood for Ms Paterson, who was the daughter of a deputy principal for a Queensland school. The family have requested privacy as they mourn.
Police had initially rushed to reports of an injured pedestrian hit by a car outside the nearby Woolworths – on Beaudesert Beenleigh Road at Bannockburn – about 7.30am on Thursday.
When officers unwittingly went to his home address in Belivah to tell the family about his accident, they found the bodies.
He was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a serious condition, where he remains unconscious under police guard.
While people on social media have leapt into comments attempting to understand what happened, relatives of Dr Seers have called for calm.
‘I’m family. It’s not DV (domestic violence),’ a family member wrote.
Data scientist Dr Blake Seers (pictured, left), who had been hit by the vehicle, remains in hospital under police guard
While people on social media have leapt into comments attempting to understand what happened, relatives of Dr Seers have called for calm
‘I know how it may read. But not everything is as it appears. I hope everyone can refrain from comments or judgement. For now, please.’
Detective Superintendent Chris Ahearn confirmed on Thursday the three all lived at the home where the dead mother and daughter were found.
‘We have witness accounts of him running from that house shortly before he was struck by the car,’ said Det Supt Ahearn.
‘Early indications are that there are no domestic violence related holdings from a police perspective, in relation to this family.
‘We believe [the father] has just headed down that street and then got to where the car was and then was struck there.
‘We’re anxious to speak with him so that we can get a fuller appraisal of the circumstances.’
CCTV from a neighbour’s home, obtained by The Courier Mail, showed Ms Paterson and Dr Seers walking home with little April on Wednesday night, hours before the incident.
Dr Seers, who is a programmer at the national science agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), remains in hospital as of Friday morning, Queensland Police confirmed to the Daily Mail.
A trail of blood led from the home to where Dr Blake Seers was hit by a ute
Police urged potential witnesses to contact them
He earned his PhD in Statistics and Marine Science from the University of Auckland before moving to Australia in 2019.
Now employed by the CSIRO, he has spent almost seven years working on data modelling in the sea level, waves and coastal extremes team.
Alongside his research, he has previously uploaded analyses on GitHub, a web-based platform for software developers to store, manage, and share code.
His interests ranged from scientific analysis looking at Australian coasts to visualising population structures and the performances of professional dart players.
Meanwhile, outside the world of data, Dr Seers is also an avid beer enthusiast, frequently using an app to share and discuss with others the drinks he enjoyed.
Detectives and forensic officers remained at the home on Thursday afternoon, as neighbours described hearing screams earlier that morning.
‘We just heard screaming coming from the house,’ said one.
One shocked neighbour told Daily Mail police arrived outside the Belivah property at about 8.30am.
She had never met the occupiers of the home but believed they had moved in recently.
Nipun Powar, who lives a few houses down from Ms Paterson, told the Courier Mail he regularly saw the family walking in the neighbourhood.
‘They just generally seemed a really happy family. I would see them frequently walking down, going to the park,’ he said.
A heavy police presence has surrounded the home, which was built around six to nine months ago, according to another neighbour.
Police urge potential witnesses in the area between 7am and 8.30am on Thursday who may have information or vision to contact them.
