A man in New Zealand went looking for his elderly parents on Thursday morning after becoming concerned that he had not heard from them for days, reports say. At their rural rented property in Waitākere, West Auckland, he found a ram in a paddock alongside the lifeless bodies of his parents.
The unnamed couple in their early 80s are believed to have both been killed by the sheep, according to The New Zealand Herald. Authorities believe the man had gone out to feed the ram and never returned, his wife then suffering the same fate when she went to check on him, Stuff reports.
New Zealand Police said the bodies were found at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Thursday morning. The agency said in a statement that the “ram was in the paddock” when authorities were contacted about the situation.
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They said another person at the scene had also “suffered a minor injury after being attacked by this ram,” and that when police arrived at the scene “they too were confronted and approached by the ram.”
“On undertaking a risk assessment, the ram was shot and died at the scene,” police said. “A scene examination has been ongoing today and has now been completed.” They said authorities are now working to establish the circumstances of what had taken place in the paddock.
Dean Burrell, the elderly couple’s nephew and a spokesperson for the family, told the Herald that the pair were retired and had lived at the property for eight years. “Unfortunately, they both lost their lives in a tragic accident. They are nice people and didn’t deserve this,” Burrell was quoted as saying.
Burrell described the deceased as hobby farmers who had sheep, chickens, and some cattle. “Everyone’s in shock as to what’s happened. They’re very upset,” Burrell added. “I feel like I was dreaming it actually, it was a bit of shock, being told what had happened and I just didn’t believe it.”
