UPDATE: The killer of a couple found dead in their home in Melbourne’s south-east is still at large as police comb the area for clues and search for a motive.
Colleagues found Cheryl Adamson, 60, and her husband Robert, 65, dead at their Murrumbeena home on Wednesday afternoon after Ms Adamson failed to turn up to work.
It is understood that Ms Adamson was a senior teacher librarian at the Grimwade House junior campus of Melbourne Grammar School, and her husband was an accountant.
Detectives were called to the house just after 12.30pm and began searching the area for a weapon they suspect may have been used to kill the couple on Tuesday night.
“It is quite a brutal scene,” Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McIntyre, of the homicide squad, said.
He said police were awaiting the outcome of an autopsy, and were not ruling anything out.
“They’ve both been assaulted and it would appear that a weapon was used, but until we’ve done a post-mortem we won’t know what that weapon was been,” he said.
There were no obvious signs of forced entry to the home.
Tearful neighbours watched in disbelief as police combed Boyd Park, near the couple’s home, in an effort to try and find the weapon.
Ted Fentiman, who has lived next door to the Adamsons for about 40 years, said he was “at a loss to imagine who would do this thing”.
“I know them extremely well and I couldn’t imagine who could have perpetrated this but I guess that we’ll find out eventually,” he said.
“It all comes as a bit of a shock.”
He said the couple’s two children had a close relationship with their parents and their son was due to marry later in the year.
A distressed friend, who did not want to be named, said those who knew them were in shock.
“They were a lovely couple,” she said.
“We feel desperately for the children.
“This is a close community around here.”
The couple’s adult son, who lived with them, is helping police with their inquiries. He is not being treated as a suspect, Detective McIntyre said.
