The Lin family murders were the 2009 killings of North Epping news-agent Min Lin, his wife Yun Lin, her sister Irene Lin and their two sons Henry (12), and Terry (9). The family were bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument, which was never found. The faces of the victims were so disfigured that forensics had to be used to identify them.
Kathy Lin, sister of Mr Lin, discovered the bodies when she went to the house at around 9:00am to see why the news agency run by the Lin family was not open. She called the police and an ambulance, but the victims were beyond help.
Brenda Lin, 15, was the only member of the immediate family to survive. She was on a school trip in New Caledonia with her Cheltenham Girls classmates at the time of the murders. She learned of the murders via Facebook.
Just after 9.00 am on May 5, 2011, Brenda's uncle Robert Xie, 47, was arrested without incident at his home in North Epping, following an extensive investigation. Brenda had been living with Xie and his wife Kathy Lin since the murders.
1. Illawarra Mercury http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/national/national/general/police-probe-lin-family-murder-in-north-epping/1573537.aspx
2. Daily Telegraph http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/lin-familys-killer-walked-into-their-north-epping-before-he-massacred-family/story-e6freuy9-1225752016475
3. Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/national/grisly-killings-that-shocked-even-the-detectives-20090719-dpku.html
4. Australian Broadcasting Corporation http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/17/2775073.htm