A man charged with murdering his de facto stepdaughter could remain a threat to the family should he apply for bail, police say.
While the 31-year-old man didn't apply for bail at Maitland Local Court on Thursday, police have requested an Apprehended Violence Order against him in case he applies in the future.
"It protects the mother and the siblings of the deceased," Superintendent Craig Jackson said.
Supt Jackson said police are in constant contact with the family, and they're holding up "as well as can be expected given the circumstances."
The 12-year-old girl, who has several younger siblings, was found dead in her bedroom at their home in the NSW Hunter region early on Wednesday.
Police allege the stepfather, who can't be named for legal reasons, murdered the girl around 5.40am on Wednesday before fleeing in the family car.
He was tracked down and arrested a short time later in nearby Rutherford.
Floral tributes have been left near the girl's Aberglasslyn home, near Maitland.
A former neighbour, who came to pay her respects, said she regularly saw the children playing together in their front yard.
Local children have delivered cards and bouquets to the makeshift memorial, with notes reading "little angel, you were taken too early" and "wishing you beautiful dreams in heaven".
Supt Jackson described the killing as a truly "horrific event" and said it was up there with some of the worst he had seen.
An autopsy is being carried out and initial findings into the girl's injuries are expected shortly.
The stepfather did not appear in court on Thursday, bail was formally refused and his case will return to Newcastle Local Court on October 7.
The killing continues a horror month in which seven women and children have been killed in alleged domestic incidents around Australia.
A six-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her father in Brisbane's north earlier this month, while on September 8, Gold Coast mother Tara Brown, 24, was allegedly bashed to death by her former partner.
On the same day, a 63-year-old Sydney woman and her seven-year-old grandson were allegedly stabbed by the woman's son.
Two days later, a 49-year-old woman was shot dead by a man believed to be her ex-partner at a Gold Coast McDonald's.
On Tuesday, heavily pregnant woman Kirralee Paepaerei was allegedly stabbed to death at her home in Sydney's west by her partner.
On Thursday the federal government pledged $100 million to combat domestic violence, which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull labelled as a "national disgrace."
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