Desperate search for missing girl comes to a tragic end hours after her father’s body was discovered on the Parramatta River – as police probe domestic violence as possible cause

Divers have found the body of a missing girl in the Parramatta River hours after her father’s body was found nearby, as police now investigate domestic violence as possible cause.

Their small boat was found adrift on the river and emergency services were called to Bayview Park on Burwood Road in Concord on Saturday morning after reports a body had been spotted in the water.

When police arrived, they pulled the man into a hire boat and attempted CPR, but he died at the scene.

Officers were told the man had been seen in a small boat with a child shortly before the discovery.

The girl was not initially found and police maintained a desperate search for her.

Hours later, at 5.30pm, the girl’s body was recovered by officers in the river at Concord.

Both are yet to be formally identified, however, police believe the man is in his 40s and from the Westmead area, while the girl is believed to be aged six or seven.

‘This is an absolute tragedy for the family and the community on every level,’ Superintendent Christine McDonald told reporters on Saturday.

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A man and a child died on Saturday after a boat was found drifting on the Parramatta River

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Superintendent Christine McDonald said police believe the pair were father and daughter

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The girl’s body was recovered by officers in the river at Concord

‘Obviously a mother in this situation who knows that her husband is now deceased…it would rock any mother to the core.’

Police established a command post and launched a search for the girl, with specialist resources assisting.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Burwood police or Crime Stoppers.

Supt McDonald said on Saturday afternoon that police were unsure how the man came to be in the water.

‘We do know that the man that we’ve located hired the vessel today, and that is all forming part of our inquiries,’ she said.

‘Today at 12.30pm, police received a call from a friend of the man to say that he had concerns for the child’s welfare and the man’s welfare.

‘Unfortunately, police had located that man deceased just before 11.45am, so about an hour beforehand.’

Supt McDonald said police are probing whether it was an accident or whether it was intentional.

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Specialist resources have been called in to help with the search

‘In terms of whether this was an accident or this was intentional, that will form part of our inquiries,’ she said.

‘We’re looking obviously at everything; it’s definitely a line of inquiry.

‘Someone’s died, so we are investigating it on behalf of the coroner, and the coroner’s expectation is that we will leave no stone unturned.’

NSW Police told Daily Mail the man was not known to authorities and there were no AVOs in place.

A search of the boat will also be carried out by police.