Kylie Blackwood "The daughters are extremely traumatised by what they’ve seen. They’ve come home from school ... and they found their mother in the house, and gone to a neighbour for help,"Detective Inspector Potter said. Mrs Blackwood also had a 13-year-old son with her husband Peter Blackwood, the owner of Harcourts Pakenham. The police have cleared Mr Blackwood, and Mr Potter said the victim was part of a "normal, suburban family ... who was subject to a vicious attack". Detective Inspector Potter said there was no sign of forced entry, and that "the garage door was up" when the body was discovered. He said no weapons were recovered from the crime scene, and would not comment on how Mrs Blackwood died.

Police are investigating whether this assault is linked to other crimes in the area. "What we’re looking at is for [to potentially] link it to other crimes, such as burglaries, and hence our appeal for public help." Police are especially interested in speaking to anyone who may have noticed suspicious behaviour or anything unusual in McCaffrey Rise and surrounding streets around school hours on Thursday, and in the days before the victim’s body was found. "This is a vicious act. A woman in her own home [has] been attacked, and we want to get to the bottom of it", he said. Neighbour Aileen Schmidt, speaking to 3AW, described Mrs Blackwood as a devoted mother and wife.

"She was a very friendly woman, she would drive past and if you were outside she would always wave and have a smile on her face," said neighbour Aileen Schmidt. Ms Schmidt said it was heartbreaking to see the family so distraught. "(I was) just trying to comfort them and see if I could do anything for them," she said. "The eldest son did ask ’are they looking for the person that hurt mum?’. "There is a lot of shock."

Mrs Blackwood's parents, who also live in the area, did not wish to comment and asked for time to grieve. Harcourts Victoria chief executive officer Sadhana Smiles said the murder was devastating. "These are extremely tragic circumstances and we are supporting Peter, his family and team at this most difficult time," she said.



nbucci@fairfaxmedia.com.au