A secluded property in a usually quiet rural Hunter Valley town has become the scene of a tragedy, as police investigate why a man allegedly shot his partner dead before turning the gun on himself.
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Police found the body of Trudy Dreyer, 49, alongside that of her 48-year-old partner at a property in Doyles Creek on Thursday afternoon.
The homestead is about 15km from Jerrys Plains in the Upper Hunter.
A travel agent raised the alarm on Thursday after discovering the pair did not board a flight they had booked, leading police to the address for a welfare check.
The Newcastle Herald understands they died a few days before their bodies were found.
Investigators have confirmed they are treating the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide.
Detectives combed the Doyles Creek Road property on Friday looking for clues as to how the tragedy unfolded.
Nearby residents, who spoke to the Newcastle Herald on the condition they were not named, said Ms Dreyer had lived for about seven years at the property, and the man had started visiting earlier this year.
They are both believed to be mine workers.
Read more: Police and court news
"They seemed like a nice couple, [the woman] was awesome," one resident said.
"Everything seemed hunky dory, they were the last couple that seemed like something like this would happen to."
Another nearby resident said it was "absolute mayhem" on the usually quiet road on Thursday afternoon as police rushed to the scene.
He said the first police car passed his property at a normal speed, but at least eight more vehicles followed soon after - like they were "on a mission".
"She was a hard-working lady," he said.
"She worked in the mines and kept to herself.
"It's a sad state of affairs."
Hunter Valley police district commander Superintendent Chad Gillies told the Newcastle Herald detectives were reviewing the backgrounds of the woman and man to try to figure out what prompted the tragedy.
"Now the crime scene has been processed, we'll await a post mortem," he said.
"The investigation is now focused on trying to ascertain the context of the incident and why it occurred."
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. Anyone with information that could help the investigation is being asked to contact police.
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