Last Sunday, August 6 a father and five children died at a fire in Russell Island, Australia. The tragic event took place at 6 am in the morning. The man who has been identified as 34-year-old Wayne Godinet, his twins Kyza and Koa both aged 4, three-year-old Nicky, and his two stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10, had their lives claimed by the flames in their home near an island in Brisbane.
Now that it has been a few days after the tragic incident affected the family, information regarding their past has come to light. Reportedly, Godinet had been in prison for domestic violence assault, and his partner had a restraining order against him. Moreover, he was known to the police, according to reports.
The mother of the children, 28-year-old Samantha Stephenson, and her 21-year-old sister Connie escaped the flames unharmed and were eventually released from the hospital. According to Detective Superintendent Andrew Massinghamn, both women are cooperating in the investigation but it is unknown if Godinet was allowed to be in the house at that moment as his restraining order stated that he was not supposed to see his partner “at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.”
About the speculations, close family friend Peter MacLoughlin talked about a conversation he had with Stephenson about her relationship with the father of five.” Despite her saying they did have problems she said the family were so close and absolutely loved each other,” the man recalled.
Still, Massinghamn stated that there are some aspects of the fire that “require closer scrutiny.” He added that most elements pertaining to the investigation remain confidential but later clarified that “No determination has been made at this stage as to whether this fire is suspicious or not,” so the possible implications of the parents in the tragic situation are still unknown.
