Molly Ticehurst: Man charged with murder of young mum and childcare worker from Forbes
She’s a young mum who described her son Nate as her “whole world”, a well-respected local who moved back to the central NSW town of Forbes almost 10 years ago to raise him there and a beloved assistant teacher at a large childcare centre.
And sometime before 1.50am on Monday, Molly Ticehurst, 28, became at least the 25th woman to allegedly be murdered by a man in Australia this year.
Daniel Billings, 29, an ex-boyfriend of Ms Ticehurst’s was charged with her murder on Monday afternoon.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Billings was arrested at a property in Fifield, more than 100km outside of Forbes. He has since been charged with murder (domestic violence) and contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO.
Mr Billings was refused bail and was set to appear in Orange Local Court.
Central West Police District crime manager detective Inspector Jason Darcy said his heart went out to Ms Ticehurt’s family and described the alleged murder was “quite brutal”.
“It was terribly violent,” he said.
“I’ve got 34 years in the police, a former homicide detective.
“I’ve been to a few and it was quite brutal.
“Thoughts go out to the family of the young lady.”
Inspector Darcy confirmed the pair had previously had some ‘form of domestic relationship’.
As news of the death of Ms Ticehurst spread, the voice of one prominent figure in the town, who did not want to be identified, broke.
She said with disgust it was “shameful” that Forbes had joined a tragic roster of placenames making the evening news because of the death of a local woman.
Describing Ms Ticehurst as “a really good girl”, the figure said that she was well-known and well-liked in the community.
Many learned of her death as they dropped off their children at the Forbes Learning Ladder childcare centre, where Ms Ticehurst worked and which is one of the only places to offer school holiday care in the region.
“A lot of people are reeling. They’re working out how to tell their children,” said the woman. “This is just devastating.”
Ms Ticehurst had spoken about her excitement at returning to live in Forbes a few years ago after “moving across the countryside” in a post that was shared on the Facebook page of the centre where she worked.
“I decided to come back to Forbes just over six years ago. I have a three-year-old, Nate, who is my whole world,” she said in 2022.
There are numerous posts on the centre’s page featuring a smiling Ms Ticehurst, who spoke with pride about achieving her assistant teaching certifications.
Asked what she liked about her job, she said: “I love walking in and seeing all the smiley faces, watching them learn new skills and seeing how proud of themselves they are. Couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people to spend every day with also!”.
Police said emergency services were called to a home on Young Street, Forbes, at about 1.50am on Monday after concerns were raised for the welfare of a woman.
Officers from Central West Police District attended the home and located Ms Ticehurst’s body inside, a police spokesperson said.
A man was arrested at a property in Fifield, a town almost 100km northwest of Forbes, and taken to Parkes Police Station.
Police charged him with murder and contravening a domestic violence order on Monday afternoon. He was due to face Orange Local Court on Monday.
A crime scene was established at the Forbes property and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms Ticehurst’s death has commenced.
Ms Ticehurst’s death is at least the 25th alleged murder of a woman by a man in Australia this year, according to a tally kept by online advocacy group Counting Dead Women Australia.
Five of the six victims murdered at last week’s Bondi Junction mass killing were female, with police investigating whether Joel Cauchi deliberately targeted women.
And in Victoria, the region of Ballarat was reeling at three recent murders, which the State’s premier, Jacinta Allen, described as an epidemic.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud described the latest alleged murder as “horrific” and said regional areas such as Forbes were overrepresented when it came to domestic violence.
“This is a national tragedy,” Mr Littleproud told The Nightly.
“With the number of women we’re losing every year to domestic violence, I think we have a responsibility to not just pour resources into the immediate treatment but to look more heavily into prevention and this is where we’ve got an opportunity to reset the next generation.
“And in regional Australia, we need to make sure that we’re getting our fair share of those programmes. Otherwise, you will continue to see greater representation in regional areas per capita.”
