East Rand children find mother murdered in her bed, father hanging from trapdoor

A six-year-old boy and his teenage brother awoke to find their mother murdered and father hanging from a trapdoor in their East Rand home on Saturday morning.

The two had been asleep, said police spokesman Captain Pearl van Staad, when their father allegedly stabbed their mother to death in their bed before committing suicide at their Daveyton home.

"The couple, aged 49 and 46, was going through a divorce," she said when asked about a  motive for the killing.

Van Staad said the boys found their parents shortly after they awoke.

"The woman appears to have been stabbed with a sharp object, although the murder weapon has yet to be found."

She said the children telephoned relatives for help who in turn called the police.

Van Staad said a murder case was being investigated and an inquest docket had been opened into the man's death.