A five-year-old boy has been left an orphan after his parents were stabbed to death while he slept in their Gold Coast home.
The child was discovered unharmed but alone in the Upper Coomera house on Wednesday afternoon by an aunt.
Police allege his parents, Renee Carter and Corey Croft, were murdered around 8pm (AEST) on Tuesday night.
They are confident the boy did not witness the deaths of his 39-year-old mother and 43-year-old father.
But he did spend the whole next day in the home with his parents' bodies.
Police seized a knife found at the home and also discovered bloody clothes in a garbage bin at a nearby reserve.
The murdered woman's ex-husband, Christopher Robert Carter, was charged with two counts of murder and faced Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The 36-year-old made no comment during his brief appearance and was remanded in custody.
The matter has been adjourned until March 27.
Queensland Police have confirmed Carter is a member of the Australian Defence Force.
Some media reports claimed he has worked as an army instructor at barracks in the Gold Coast hinterland.
He has also reportedly served at least one tour of Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Department of Defence said it was weighing up a response to Carter's arrest.
"Defence is considering what administrative action may be appropriate in the circumstances," it said.
"However, as this matter is continuing before the courts, it would be inappropriate for Defence to comment further or to speculate as to any possible outcomes."
Meanwhile, police said the young boy was in the care of relatives and holding up relatively well considering his ordeal.
"Obviously it's an extremely traumatic experience for a five-year-old," Detective Superintendent Dave Hutchinson said.
"We can only hope at the end of the day the fact he's so young might reduce the impact on him."
He urged anyone who saw a white Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD on or near Skylark Street in Upper Coomera over the past seven days to contact police.
Shocked neighbours - including one who claimed to have heard yelling at the house on Tuesday night - said the family had only moved into the street six months ago.
Resident Tony Smales said the news had rocked the entire neighbourhood.
"It just blows you away to see something like this happen," Mr Smales told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
"You never know what's going on behind closed doors, I guess."
Investigations are ongoing.
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