Update Tuesday
Less than 24 hours after marking Mother's Day, a bloodied Linda Connors was found sprawled in bed inside the townhouse she shared with her two children.
Not long after her eldest son, Simon, made the horrific discovery, police pulled over the 55-year-old woman's car in St Peters in Sydney's inner-west on Monday morning.
Behind the wheel was her 28-year-old son Nathan White. Also in the car was a crossbow, a pitchfork wrapped in a towel and the family dog.
Police said the car's number plate was automatically detected by a passing police car, with an alert advising officers to pull the car over.
The officers arrested Mr White and took him to Newtown Police Station, where he was charged on Monday night with his mother's murder.
He was refused police bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on Tuesday.
Friends and neighbours say the mother and two sons were a quiet family who kept to themselves.
However they raised concerns about Mr White's mental health, which they claimed had deteriorated recently.
One woman, who knew Mr White since he was a child, said he had started hearing voices in his head over the past year.
During the same time period he had also become withdrawn, rarely leaving his Florida Street home.
"Over the past 12 months he had just fully isolated himself," the woman, who asked not to be named, said.
"Before that he was fine, he had normal conversations and everything.
"He had always been a pretty good kid growing up. He has had a hard life, he only had his mum. It was only mum and the two boys."
Childhood friend Daniel Ikin-McKinnon said Mr White, who went to Sylvania High School, had a serious motorbike crash a few years ago that required him to have a full facial reconstruction.
He was on strong medication in the aftermath.
"He never seemed like the type to do anything like [this]," he said.
"[He was] just like a normal kid to me, we just did what most teenagers do ... hang out [and] do dumb shit that we found fun but nothing extreme. Just kids being kids.
"This would have never been who I thought would do something like this."
Neighbour Kerrin Willis used to live in the same townhouse complex as the family.
She remembered Ms Connors as a nice, quiet woman.
"I never had a problem with her," she said.
"She would get out the front of the house on the weekends and clean the front yard. She worked five days a week."
It is understood Ms White's body was wrapped in a blanket and found with a significant head injury and covered in blood.
Miranda Local Area Command Superintendent Michael O'Toole said the older brother was "very distraught" about what had happened.
"He is the one that came across the incident and called police to attend," he said.
Police could not yet say whether the woman died on Sunday or in the early hours of Monday.
Update 1pm Monday:
A man arrested after the bloodied body of his mother was found in her Sydney townhouse had recently started hearing voices in his head and became very withdrawn, friends say.
The body of Linda Connors, 55, was found in her bed inside the home she shared with her two sons in Sylvania early on Monday morning.
Not long after she was found, police arrested her son Nathan White, 28, on the Princes Highway at St Peters and found a crossbow in his car.
Mr White is speaking to police at Newtown police station.
A woman who knew Mr White since he was a child said he had become isolated over the past 18 months.
He rarely left the house and his behaviour had changed from the young man she once knew.
"Over the past 12 months he had just fully isolated himself," the woman, who asked not to be named, said.
"Before that he was fine, he had normal conversations and everything.
"He had always been a pretty good kid growing up. He has had a hard life, he only had his mum. It was only mum and the two boys."
The woman said Mr White, who went to Sylvania High School, would often go to a local RSL with mates to play cards and have a drink but that had recently stopped.
Kerrin Willis used to live in the same townhouse complex as the family.
She remembered Ms Connors as a nice, quiet woman who kept to herself.
"I never had a problem with her," she said.
"She would get out the front of the house on the weekends and clean the front yard. She worked five days a week."
Both Ms Willis and the childhood friend said they noticed a shift in Mr White's behaviour five or six years ago after he was bashed over the head with a pool cue at a local pub.
They also said Mr White had started hearing voices in his head recently.
A tow truck arrived at the scene on Monday morning to take away Mr White's silver Toyota Rav 4.
Police could not yet say whether the woman died on Sunday - Mother's Day - or in the early hours of Monday.
No charges have been laid.
Update 11am:
A family has been torn apart after the death of a mother in Sylvania overnight.
Miranda police Superintendent Michael O’Toole addressed the media on Monday morning after the woman’s body, 55, was found earlier today.
Police said one of the woman’s sons, 31, found her body in the early hours of today.
Superintendent Michael O’Toole said he remains at Miranda police station where he is helping police but is “very distraught”.
The woman’s other son, 28, was stopped by police on the Princes Highway at St Peters and arrested.
He has since been taken to Newtown police station.
Superintendent O’Toole confirmed that a crossbow had been seized from the car but wouldn’t confirm whether it had been used in the incident.
He said it was too early to confirm what the motive of the attack.
He urged any witnesses to come forward and contact Miranda police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Earlier:
A man has been arrested after a woman’s body was found in Sylvania today.
It is understood a family member arrived at the townhouse on Florida Street, Sylvania, about 6.45am on Monday and found her in her bed, covered in blood.
Emergency services were called after reports of a concern for welfare.
When they arrived police found the body of a woman, 55.
Subsequently, a man, 27, was arrested on the Princes Highway, St Peters, and was taken to Newtown Police Station where he is currently assisting with inquiries.
The woman’s death is being treated as suspicious and a crime scene has been established.
Inquiries are continuing.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
