Former Rugby Star Rowan Baxter Dies Along With His Wife And Kids; Foul Play Suspected

Australian former rugby star Rowan Baxter allegedly set his car on fire causing his own death. The tragic part is that his wife and three young kids were with him when the incident happened and none of the family of five reportedly survived, based on numerous reports by Australian media outlets.

Baxter allegedly went to a local petrol station to fill a gas can with fuel on Wednesday, February 19, CNN Sports reported. The former New Zealand Warriors member allegedly poured fuel into the car with his wife and three young kids still inside before setting it alight.

Australian authorities said in a statement that they received a call at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday about a car fire. The dead bodies of Baxter’s three kids aged three, four and six were found dead inside the vehicle when police responded to the call.

While some Australian media reported that he doused his SUV in fuel and set it on fire before stabbing himself, police cautioned that it’s too early to conclude just how the fire started. “How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident, it's inappropriate at this stage,” explained Detective Inspector Mark Thompson, BBC reported.

What is known at this point is that Baxter’s three young children were all found dead inside the car when police responded to the call.

Rowan Baxter was later declared dead when responding emergency personnel failed to revive him. While various reports claimed that he was found outside the car with a self-inflicted stab wound, police have not yet confirmed this detail.

Meanwhile, his 31-year-old wife Hannah Baxter later died in hospital due to extensive burns. There were reports saying that she jumped from the vehicle and yelled that her husband poured petrol on her.

Responding paramedics said a male passerby tried to get to the burning car to rescue its occupants. However, he also suffered from facial burning and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.

The former member of the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team based in Auckland, along with his wife, run a gym called Integr8 located in Capalaba, which is near Brisbane. The couple reportedly separated last year and is still in the process of working out custody arrangements of the three kids when the incident happened.