The family of a Gold Coast mother and preschooler killed in a triple homicide-suicide deny that a custody battle was at the centre of the tragedy.
Five-year-old Kyla Rogers was found dead alongside her father, 40-year old Paul Rogers, previously from Hamilton, on Monday night in a car near Casino in northern New South Wales in Australia.
Her mother, Tania Simpson, and Nelson man Anthony Way, believed to be her partner, had been found dead in a unit in Robina on the Gold Coast at about 8am the same day.
Anthony's older brother Andre left New Zealand for Australia on Wednesday to retrieve his brother's body.
Police believe Rogers stabbed Way and Simpson to death before abducting Kyla and taking her to northern NSW, where they died together from carbon monoxide poisoning in his car.
Simpson had reportedly called off her engagement to Rogers in the lead-up to the rampage.
Kyla's toddler brother was staying with his grandparents.
Australian police last week said a dispute over the custody of the children was at the centre of the tragedy.
But the Simpsons deny there was a bitter custody battle.
In a statement issued last night, the Simpson family spoke of a "loving mother who had her children's best interests at heart".
They say she was moving on with her life after separating from Rogers and was "happier than she'd ever been".
The family have released a statement thanking people for their support.
They say they cannot comprehend what happened and have asked for privacy while they grieve.
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