A father has faced court accused of murdering his three young daughters, wife and mother-in-law with a blunt instrument and knives at a Perth home, then remaining with them for days before turning himself in.
The bodies of Mara Lee Harvey, 41, her three-year-old daughter Charlotte, two-year-old twins Alice and Beatrix, and their grandmother Beverley Ann Quinn, 73, were found at a Bedford home, in Perth's inner northeast, on Sunday.
Anthony Robert Harvey, 24, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday via video link from Karratha courthouse accused of killing his wife and children on September 3 - six days before their bodies were discovered.
He allegedly killed Ms Quinn on the morning of September 4 when she arrived at the house.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told reporters several weapons were used, including a blunt instrument and knives, but no guns.
The women were allegedly attacked in the kitchen, while the children were killed in other rooms.
Police also allege Harvey remained with the bodies at the house for "some days" before travelling north.
A bearded Harvey, who wore jeans and t-shirt, appeared calm as he sat in the dock and told magistrate Joe Randazzo he understood the charges.
Lawyer Max Crispe represented Harvey via telephone but made no applications.
Harvey was not required to enter pleas and was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court later this month.
He had turned himself in at Pannawonica police station, some 1500 kilometres north of Perth in the state's Pilbara region, prompting police to visit the Coode Street home where they discovered the bodies about midday.
In a statement, the family said there were no words to describe their "emptiness and loss".
Ms Quinn was remembered as kind-hearted and always there for her family, while Ms Harvey loved being a mum.
Charlotte was described as an energetic and confident girl who loved socialising, while Alice was adventurous and cheeky, and Beatrix gave the biggest hugs.
"This world is a sadder place with the loss of these five beautiful people but Heaven has gained five new angels," the family said.
A bouquet of red roses with a card saying "rest in peace, neighbours" was placed against a light pole near the house.
The case follows the shooting deaths of three adults and four children, all from the same family, in Osmington in regional WA in May.
A mother and her 15-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son were also killed at Ellenbrook, in Perth's outer northeast, in July.
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