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In a heartbreaking final show of unity, Rockhampton’s mother Tayla Cox and her allegedly murdered daughter Murphy Margaret bid farewell in a single coffin at their funeral.
Tayla, 30, and Murphy, 11 weeks, were buried together after husband and father Mathew Cox allegedly killed them nearly three weeks ago on August 8.
Hundreds of mourners filled Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and families paying their respects after their senseless deaths.
A memorial booklet filled with sweet photos of the couple read, “We love you both every day of your lives and will miss you for the rest of ours.”
The funeral announcement for mother and daughter described them as “precious and deeply loved” by their devastated family and friends.
It also described a special bond between Ms Cox and Murphy Margaret.
Heartbroken family and friends gathered on Friday to bid farewell to Rockhampton mother and daughter Tayla Cox and Murphy Margaret (pictured is the front of the memorial booklet)
Rockhampton’s mother Tayla Cox and daughter Murphy Margaret said goodbye in a single coffin at their funeral (pictured)
Tayla Cox (right), 30, and her baby daughter Murphy (centre) were found dead at their Rockhampton home on Thursday. Her husband, Matthew (left), has been charged with their murders.
Hundreds of mourners filled Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and families paying their respects after their senseless deaths.
The pair had met while working together at Flight Center and started dating in 2015.
They got engaged in November 2018 and married on the Gold Coast in May 2021.
Police first attended the Rockhampton home for a welfare check after Cox turned himself in to Fortitude Valley Police Station on August 10.
He reportedly drove to Rockhampton Airport in his wife’s white MG SUV and flew to Brisbane where he spent two nights at the Constance Fortitude Valley Hotel.
Ms Cox and her daughter were later found dead in their Rockhampton home.
Cox was charged with two counts of murder the night he surrendered.
Police said there was no history of domestic violence between the couple, with heartbroken Cox’s parents breaking their silence over the tragedy.
Cox’s parents, Denis and Linda Lind, released a statement earlier this month.
“We have lost a beautiful daughter-in-law, Tayla, but also our beloved granddaughter Murphy,” the couple wrote.
“At this stage we have very few other details and are in absolute shock.”
“We ask the media to respect our privacy as we grieve and try to process what happened.”
A memorial booklet was filled with photos of the mother and daughter who were allegedly murdered.
The single white coffin arrives at Rockhampton Baptist Church on Friday.
The couple’s funeral announcement (pictured) described them as ‘precious and deeply loved’ by their devastated family and friends
Matthew and Tayla Cox (pictured while pregnant) lived in Victoria before moving back to Rockhampton after buying their house in November 2022
Proud grandmother Linda (right) recently shared a photo posing with her son Matthew Cox (left) and baby daughter Murphy
His cases first came up in Brisbane Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He did not appear in court and remains behind bars at Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Cox was ordered to appear again on October 30 with a memorandum of evidence to be delivered by October 9.
Police will say Cox stayed at an apartment complex on Constance Street in Fortitude Valley before turning himself in to police, two days after the alleged murder.
After police attended the Rockhampton home, a crime scene was established and several police officers, medical examiners and scientists visited the property over the next few days, combing through all surfaces of the home.
Ms Cox, maiden name Black, grew up in Rockhampton and attended St Ursula’s College, nearby Yeppoon.
She was a repair coordinator for a construction company in Berserker, a suburb of Rockhampton. She was on maternity leave at the time of her death.
“Always be kind,” her Facebook bio states.
She and Cox lived in Victoria for a time during their relationship and had been together for nearly eight years, according to her Facebook page.
They moved back to Rockhampton after buying their three-bedroom house on Park Avenue in November 2022.
The move came as Cox got a job at a local radio station while his wife took to Facebook to celebrate the purchase of their new home.
“New chapter, I can’t wait to make so many amazing memories with our beautiful little family,” Ms Cox wrote.
In February, she shared a happy photo of her husband cradling his baby bump while enjoying a break on Great Keppel Island.
“We look forward to meeting you,” she wrote.
Heartwrenching detail at funeral of mother and baby in Rockhampton allegedly murdered by husband