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Police officially declare woman's lawnmower death "suspicious"

<p>Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead on an Upper Lockyer property in Queensland shortly before 4am on Tuesday, with paramedics initially reporting the incident as a "mower rollover".</p> <p>But on Thursday Queensland police provided an update on the investigation, and are now treating her death as suspicious – with Frances' husband the focus of the investigation. </p> <p>“A 49-year-old woman was located with critical injuries and passed away at the scene,” police said.</p> <p>“Further investigations have led police to deem the death as suspicious and investigations are underway into the circumstances.”</p> <p>Police are still waiting on the results of forensics testing. </p> <p>Crawford was a dedicated psychologist at Quality Life Psychology Services in the Toowoomba suburb of Kearneys Spring. </p> <p>Her colleagues have expressed their shock over her untimely death and paid tribute to their team member. </p> <p>“We remember Frances Crawford as a very skilled psychologist and valued and respected team member in the Quality Life Psychology Services family,” the clinic said in a statement.</p> <p>“Frances was a true professional and was highly regarded by her clients and colleagues.</p> <p>“At this time, we are all still stunned and coming to terms at the news of her untimely demise, and we extend to her immediate and church families our most sincere condolences.</p> <p>“Frances will be sorely missed by all.”</p> <p>Her grieving family also paid tribute in a statement shared on Thursday afternoon. </p> <p>“Frances had a loving heart and she always saw the best in others,” they wrote. </p> <p>“She cared deeply about the people around her and put their needs before her own.”</p> <p>Her family said her “gentle grace and compassionate nature” will be missed by all who knew her, especially her church and work families.</p> <p>“God was at the centre of Frances’ life,” they wrote.</p> <p>“She loved Jesus, and it is a great comfort to her family and friends that she is now at peace in heaven.”</p> <p>“A wonderful wife and mother to three fantastic children, a treasured daughter, sister and niece, a loyal and valued friend, and a professional psychologist whose caring nature and years of training allowed her to look after so many others during their time of need,” they said.</p> <p>“Frances gave fully and freely of herself, a beautiful soul inside and out.</p> <p>“She was a truly special person whose passing is a tragedy and the ripples of which are only just beginning to be felt.”</p> <p><em>Images: Crawford Family/ 7NEWS</em></p>

Caring

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"We see you hiding that bump!": Bindi Irwin's suspicious new pic

<p>Rumours of a potential new wildlife warrior baby have started to swirl, as Bindi Irwin has been called out by her fans for trying to conceal her baby bump. </p> <p>While celebrating her husband Chandler's 26th birthday at the Crocodile Hunter Lodge at Australia Zoo, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice the strategic placement of the birthday cake over Bindi's stomach. </p> <p>"We see you hiding that bump!" one fan commented, while another questioned, "Ooooooh is there another lil Irwin on the way?"</p> <p>While the wildlife warrior couple have yet to confirm the news themselves, a source told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/bindi-irwin-pregnant-chandler-powell-second-baby-75762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman's Day</a> that the pregnancy news is true. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFEbFNBaao/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFEbFNBaao/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>According to the source, Bindi and Chandler chose the special occasion, while Chandler's US-based parents Chris and Shannan were in Australia, to break the happy news to their relatives that baby number two is on the way.</p> <p>"They're hoping to officially announce another baby is on the way any day now," a source tells Woman's Day. </p> <p>"They also can't wait to give Grace a sibling close in age. They really want a boy, given that both Bindi and Chandler grew up with a brother each and loved it."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

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CCTV footage emerges in suspicious house fire case

<p dir="ltr">CCTV footage of a person fleeing from a $24 million heritage-listed mansion engulfed in flames has been released by police, after the home on Sydney’s lower north shore was ablaze <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/property/real-estate/sydney-mega-mansion-destroyed-by-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earlier this month</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">After reports of a major house fire on Saturday, September 3 - including 30 calls made to triple zero - emergency services descended on the waterfront home in Northwood, with 50 firefighters working for two hours to extinguish the flames.</p> <p dir="ltr">The house sustained significant damage, but no-one was at home at the time and no injuries were reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">NSW Police have since determined the fire was deliberately lit, with detectives believing an accelerant was used.</p> <p dir="ltr">Detective Chief Inspector Richard Puffett, coordinator of the financial crimes squad’s arson unit, told reporters on Monday that the authorities were looking at a “number of possible persons of interest”, as well as “a number of motives”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that one of several lines of enquiry investigators are establishing relates to a development application process, lodged by owner Ouyang “Owen” Chen several months before he bought the property.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Chen, who is now assisting police with their inquiries, lodged an application with Lane Cove Council to demolish the house he owned next door and build a four-storey residence at a cost of $5 million instead.</p> <p dir="ltr">The application was knocked back in October, with a nine-page document detailing multiple objections including issues with bulk and scale of the project, as well as having “an unacceptable impact on the heritage” house next door.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Chen then lodged a review of the rejection in July.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home, one of the oldest in Northwood, was built in 1915 and previously owned by travel industry doyenne Mary Rossi.</p> <p dir="ltr">Claudia Rossi Hudsdon, one of ten children raised in the home by Mary and Theo Russi, said the fire had shocked the family.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The loss was really when we sold the family home last year, but at the time we thought we’d always be able to drive by and remember what a joyous and happy life we had in that house,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">As investigations continue, detectives hope that the CCTV footage, which shows a person of interest entering and exiting the property around the time the fire was lit, would prompt anyone with information to come forward.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the footage, a person wearing dark clothes can be seen walking into the property from the road, and leaving just after 10.30pm as the house catches alight. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There are people out there who know more about this fire,” Detective Chief Inspector Puffett said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Detectives are also calling on anyone with dashcam footage from vehicles that were driving along or parked on Cliff Road on September 3 to come forward.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3a1465c7-7fff-7cd5-44a1-55cadc0e8050"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: NSW Police</em></p>

Real Estate

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Beloved US musician and his wife found dead on desert road

<p>A beloved US musician and his wife have been found dead near California under mysterious circumstances. </p> <p>Larry Petree and his wife Betty, who had been married for more than 60 years, were found dead on a desert road in a bizarre tragedy, leaving family members wondering what happened.</p> <p>“When deputies arrived, they found the bodies of an adult male sitting in the driver’s seat and adult female leaning against the rear tire,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.</p> <p>Criminal activity is not suspected in the case, so homicide detectives didn‘t respond to the scene, while investigators added that it appeared the couple had run out of petrol. </p> <p>It is unclear where the couple were heading, and an official cause of death has yet to be revealed. </p> <p>Larry was known for his musical talents and played the pedal steel guitar, contributing to the iconic Bakersfield Sound era.</p> <p>He was playing shows in the area up until his passing, with Larry‘s final show being with a band called The Soda Crackers.</p> <p>“We had the honour of having Larry as our steel guitarist at our first ever show in Bakersfield and had the even greater honour of playing with him for his last show a few weeks ago,” the band wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.</p> <p>“We send our condolences to the Petree family and the greater Bakersfield Sound community.”</p> <p>Larry’s cousin, Laurie Sanders, told The Californian that Larry had been disoriented recently and got lost when attending his own gig. </p> <p>He failed to show up for the performance, and a family friend had to pick him up and take him to the concert. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

News

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Fresh twist in toddler's suspicious death

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An arrest has been made in relation to the 2005 death of 21-month-old Jordan Thompson, who died on March 19, 2005, with antidepressants in his system.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cecil Kennedy, 49, was arrested on Monday afternoon in Sydney over Jordan’s death. Kennedy was the partner of Jordan’s mother, Bernice Swales, when Swales left Jordan in Kennedy’s care while she left to run errands. She returned home to find Jordan unresponsive and rushed him to Singleton Base Hospital, but he could not be revived.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A statement issued by NSW Police said that police were told Jordan had been found face down in the bathtub, but that a post mortem later found a lethal dose of antidepressants in his system.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A coronial inquest was established in 2008, and in 2018 Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott found that Jordan died because he had been deliberately administered anti-depressant medication.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Homicide Squad detectives established Strike Force Kyeama to investigate the circumstances surrounding Jordan’s death. In 2015, Deputy Premier and Minister for Police Troy Grant said Jordan’s family deserve closure, adding “It’s now been just over a decade since Jordan died, and yet his mother and family still don’t know have any answers about his death.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following further investigations and the offer of a $100,000 reward for more information, Kennedy was arrested at his home in Doonside and taken to Blacktown Police Station where charges are expected to be laid.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">after the arrest, Ms Swales said she appreciated all the work the police had done: “I'm really grateful for all of the work that has been done for my son. I just want to say thank you, a special thank you to the detective who made this and worked very hard and made sure he never gave up, he never gave up and I'm so grateful for all the work that's been put in.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: NSW Police</span></em></p>

Legal

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Disneyland Paris evacuated after suspicious package found

<p>The main train station servicing Disneyland Paris has been evacuated after a suspicious packages was discovered inside, with police reportedly on standby.  </p> <p>The package was found inside Marne-la-Vallée station, which is about 32km from the centre of Paris, and neighbours the popular European theme park.</p> <p>Reports suggest officials have decided to evacuate the whole park, with police and soldiers armed with assault rifles reportedly investigating the scene.</p> <p>Tom Wiseman, who has been visiting Disneyland Paris, described the frantic evacuation to<a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> The Sun</strong></span></a>, stating, “I just left Disneyland Paris. It was bedlam getting on buses.”</p> <p>A local resident called Lisa added: “It seems to be the train station. All taped off and police everywhere. Stay safe. We are in village.”</p> <p>France remains in a state of emergency after the deadly attacks last November.</p> <p><em>More details to come…</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/international-travel/2016/08/this-family-was-treated-to-a-night-in-the-eiffel-tower/"><strong>This family was treated to a night in the Eiffel Tower</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/08/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-france/"><strong>Is it safe to travel to France?</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/class-action-against-cruise-line-over-european-cruise/"><strong>Class action against cruise line over European cruise</strong></a></em></span></p>

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