WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. A devastating quadruple murder-suicide in Perth has exposed the profound struggles faced by families caring for children with severe autism, with friends describing parents who felt "isolated, unsupported and abandoned" by the system.
A Chilling Discovery in an Affluent Suburb
On the morning of Friday, January 30, a care worker arrived at a family home in an affluent Perth suburb to a scene of silence. A note on the door instructed "don't enter" and to contact emergency services immediately. Behind that door lay the bodies of Jarrod Clune, 50, his partner Maiwenna Goasdoue, 49, and their two autistic teenage sons, Leon and Otis, aged 16 and 14.
Police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide. The bodies were found in different parts of the property alongside the family pets. Authorities have stated the cause of death has not been officially confirmed but did not appear violent, with no weapons discovered at the scene.
A Tragic Pact Born From Desperation
A second note recovered by investigators supported the conclusion that the parents had instigated a tragic murder-suicide pact. Close friends have since come forward to paint a picture of a loving family pushed to the brink by an overwhelming lack of support.
Nedra, a close family friend, told the Daily Mail that Maiwenna, known as 'Mai', was desperate for help. "No one can understand the endless fight," she said. "Mai wouldn't even put her boys into respite care in case they were mistreated in any way."
She described chronic sleep deprivation, as the boys did not sleep through the night, and long school holidays filled with challenging behaviours that left the parents feeling they had no other option.
'A Losing Battle Against the System'
Another anonymous friend described Jarrod and Maiwenna as a "strong couple" who loved their sons "deeply" and moved "all the stones they could" to secure support. "Unfortunately, they were fighting a losing battle against a system which is not here to assist," the friend shared.
"This tragedy arose because two parents were so beaten down by the system, so isolated, so fearful for the future of their children that they could see no other way out."
The Boys' Struggles and Their Character
Western Australia Police confirmed the two boys lived with "significant health challenges". The family had reportedly lost government funding support for one of the children through Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
An educator who taught one of the boys described them as "kind-hearted boys who just needed to be understood." She noted that Leon was approaching graduation, a significant milestone, and that both boys often fell asleep at school due to insomnia, a classic symptom of autism.
In school, they loved Disney movies, especially Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Otis, who was non-verbal, often kept Nemo and Dory soft toys with him for comfort.
Allegations of Cruelty and Systemic Failure
The educator revealed a particularly distressing detail: someone had allegedly called Otis a 'monster' to his exhausted mother. She also clarified that while initial reports suggested both boys attended Christ Church Grammar Anglican boys' school, Otis had been expelled two years prior after a spitting incident. Both boys were at her special needs school at the time of their deaths.
Autism mentor Maddie Page took to Facebook to state the family had been 'failed' by the NDIS. "My heart feels unbearably heavy knowing that they were made to feel they had no other choice," she wrote. "There truly was no one like them, and their parents were their biggest, fiercest supporters."
This tragic case highlights the extreme pressures on families navigating complex care systems, raising urgent questions about support for those with severe disabilities and the mental health of their caregivers.
