Freed After 30 Crimes — Just 8 Weeks Later He Allegedly Turned an Axe on His Own Family: Manhunt Enters Day 3 as Terrifying Details Emerge
A quiet rural property in Tyers, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, became the scene of one of the most extreme family violence incidents police have described in years. On the afternoon of Saturday, 5 September 2026, emergency services raced to Cowies Road after reports that three people had been attacked with an axe or hatchet. The victims were the alleged attacker’s own parents and brother.
Peter O’Ryan, 48, is accused of first assaulting his 47-year-old brother during an argument, then turning on his parents, aged in their mid-to-late 70s. The two men suffered life-threatening injuries and were airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where they remained in critical condition. The 74-year-old woman sustained critical injuries but was later reported as stable. Police described the injuries as “very, very extreme” and among the most serious they had encountered.
O’Ryan fled the property on foot. By Monday, 7 September, a large-scale search involving local officers, detectives and aerial support had entered its third day. He was last seen wearing a distinctive black-and-mustard jacket and carrying a black backpack. Authorities released photographs and warned that he may still be armed. They believe he is of no fixed address and has previously taken refuge in abandoned buildings and outhouses around the Morwell area. While police have stated they do not believe he currently poses a general threat to the wider public, they have urged residents to remain vigilant and to contact emergency services immediately if they see him. Officers have also appealed directly to O’Ryan to hand himself in.
Court records reveal a long and troubled history. A 2021 County Court sentencing document details that a man matching O’Ryan’s background and family circumstances in Tyers had accumulated approximately 30 court appearances between 1995 and 2020. Those matters included multiple burglaries, thefts, threats to kill, resisting police and other offences. He had lived with his parents on their cattle farm until an intervention order forced him to leave years earlier. The extensive prior record paints a picture of repeated contact with the justice system and difficulty remaining out of trouble.
The community in Tyers and surrounding towns has been left deeply unsettled. Residents reported heightened police activity, helicopter overflights and door-to-door inquiries. The combination of extreme alleged violence inside a family home, the suspect’s lengthy criminal past, and the fact that he remains at large has fuelled widespread anxiety. Investigators continue to piece together the precise sequence of events that led from a domestic argument to the alleged axe attack.
As the manhunt continues, the case underscores ongoing challenges around family violence, the management of offenders with extensive records, and the difficulty of predicting when long-standing personal and criminal patterns may erupt into extreme harm. Police remain focused on locating O’Ryan safely while the three victims fight for recovery in hospital. The coming days will determine whether the search ends with a peaceful surrender or further confrontation.
