Family battle for bodies of murdered children

A battle between the mother and grandmother of three children killed by their father in Melbourne is set to escalate, as a coroner decides today to whom the bodies will be released.

Asia Osborne, 12, her brother Jarius, 10, and sister Grace, 7, were found dead after their father Raj Osborne shot all three children dead before turning the gun on himself.

Their bodies were discovered at their Melbourne north home, on Saturday afternoon, by Mr Osborne's girlfriend and his mother.

The children's mother, who separated from Mr Osborne several years ago and who does not want to be named, is fighting to have her children's bodies released to her, as their next of kin.

She told the Herald last night that she had a fight on her hands, as the children's paternal grandmother, Rameshwari Devi, yesterday applied to be regarded as the children's next of kin and so entitled to have the youngsters' bodies released to her.

The children's mother said last night that she was meant to have the youngsters' bodies released to her yesterday, as she was their next of kin.

But that changed when her former partner's family applied to have them released to them.

She was making another trip to see the coroner last night, to make an application that she be seen as the next of kin, the upset mother said.

"They were supposed to be released to me [yesterday], but the mother [Mrs Devi] has just made an application to be considered as next of kin and that's why I have to go and do this.

"[Mrs Devi] has had legal advice and she's got a lawyer. I've got a lawyer as well and so we have a battle that begins ahead of us."

The children's mother, who is part Maori and whose family are from Huntly and Hamilton, wants to have her children brought to New Zealand to be buried.

She and Mr Osborne and the couple's three children lived in Hamilton and Dunedin for about five years, until 2004, when they shifted to Australia.

The couple subsequently split.

However her wish is that the slain siblings be buried with their younger sister, eight-month-old Aroha, who died in a cot death about five years ago and is buried at Taupiri Maunga in Waikato.

Mr Osborne's family are adamant that the children should be laid to rest in Australia. His girlfriend, Rima El Bayad, told Melbourne's Herald Sun that she and her partner's mother would go head to head with the children's mother to keep them in Australia.

The coroner's decision is expected to be released today.