Daughter of cop killers speaks out
The daughter of Nathaniel and Stacey Train, who were responsible for the death of two young police officers during a shooting in Queensland, has broken her silence.
Madelyn Train spoke out for the first time on the devastating incident, revealing what she believes happened on the day of the violent confrontation in December that left two police officers, her parents, Nathaniel’s brother Gareth, and an innocent neighbour dead.
She also shared how she is learning to deal with the losses in her family, while coming to terms with her parents' unusual behaviour before the stand-off began.
“I mourn six people,” she told 9News.
“So I mourn my family, I mourn the police officers and I mourn the neighbour."
“And I developed acute traumatic stress disorder from that, because grieving three of your family members is hard enough, but then finding out what they did, and then seeing everyone’s reaction to what they did.”
Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey shot dead constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, along with neighbour Alan Dare, 58, on their isolated property in Wieambilla, after police attended to investigate a missing persons call.
#EXCLUSIVE: The daughter and niece of the rural Queensland shooters that killed two young police officers and a good samaritan reveals what she believes led to the deadly day and how she now has to live with the actions of her family. #9News @sophie_walsh9 pic.twitter.com/4NQT50fepG
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) January 22, 2023
On the day of the shooting, Madelyn received an eerie text message from her uncle Gareth.
“Vanessa (his brother’s wife) sent people to kill us,” it read, referencing the estranged wife of his brother Nathaniel who made the missing persons report that brought police to the property.
All three of the Trains were then shot dead during the altercation just hours later.
Talking about her parents, Madelyn said: “They were both shot dead. Mum was trying to get out the back, it said she was armed but mum didn’t like guns, so I don’t know what she was armed with.
“But the police said it was a gun so I trust the police.”
When asked what she believed happened that day, Madelyn said, “I’d say they were influenced by fear of the unknown, of whatever was happening and then not understanding.”
Despite her healthy family upbringing, Madelyn hadn't seen her family in several years but always attempted to remain in contact.
“If I was ever concerned I would say, ‘Hey, I don’t think that’s quite right, look at this article,’ and redirect it to something that was slightly more positive so that they had something else to read.”
Madelyn said that Gareth had bought into conspiracy theories and become paranoid during the Covid pandemic, and was convinced the government was spying on them.
“It was like he was doing a weird project on Covid and the end of the world, but also religiously he believes in the apocalypse,” she said.
She said the family members she remembered had been “the gentlest people I know”.
Image credits: Nine News