Indi (Inderpal) 28, Abbey 19 and 19 days old Ivy could not escape the house fire
Inderpal (also known as Indi) Sohal, 28, Abbey Forrest, 19 and their 3-week-old daughter Ivy were found dead in their Point Cook townhouse after it was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning on December 2.
Jenny Hayes , 46, of Airport West has been charged with murder and arson over a house fire that killed a “young, happy” couple and their newborn baby in Melbourne’s Point Cook.
Indi’s friend Gurvinder Singh said he last spoke to Inderpal on Monday and said he was “really happy” to be a dad.
Inderpal had moved to Australia from India about four years ago and India and Abbey had lived together for about 18 months.
Indi’s friends say he was very helpful and always ready to lend a hand.
“Anyone coming from India, Indi was always ready to help. He helped many friends with helping to find places to stay and help them with work and everything,” said another friend.
“And now there is just sadness all around.”
Police believe Jenny Hayes knew someone in the house. It all sounds very weird. What would possibly be the connection between a 46-year-old woman and a young couple Indi 28 and Abbey 19.
If Jenny Hayes set the house on fire, who could she possibly know?
If she knew Indi (or Inderpal), then, is it a case of jealousy of a woman scorned – a love triangle in which innocent Abbey, whose life was just starting and her daughter who was not even three weeks old and yet to see the world, tragically became the sacrificial lambs?
Or even worse, could it be the case of a mistaken identity? Could it be that (if Jenny Hayes has set the house on fire) she got the address wrong?
According to Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman, police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the matter.
There are many questions that need to be answered and the police investigators will have to work hard to piece together all the pieces of this tragic jigsaw puzzle.
Neighbours Jade Bartolo and her partner tried their best to break an upstairs window with an axe to free Indi, Abbey and the child but the ferocity of the flames forced them back.
The house was destroyed in a matter of minutes. There may be some work for those who approve the building design and materials being used in new constructions.
Talking about Indi, Abbey’s sister Emily Forrest said Indi was a “very loving man” who adored Abbey dearly and their daughter just as much.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Kennedy said the fire was being treated as suspicious due to its intensity when firefighters arrived, with the blaze raging at the front and upstairs.
“With accidental fires that doesn’t really occur,” he said.
“I’m sure with our arson chemist and forensic experts, we have a large team here, I’m hopeful that we’ll get those answers.”
The house remained cordoned off by police tape today and a few bunches of flowers had been laid out the front.
Emily Forrest, Abbey’s sister visited the house to lay flowers and a Peppa Pig toy in memory of the young family.
Indi and Abbey had just moved in only a month ago. Little did they know their new house would become their death cauldron.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help the family cover the funeral costs.