The families of two police officers shot dead by conspiracy theorists during the Wieambilla massacre have lashed the decision to sell the dilapidated murder house after being promised the site would be turned into a memorial site.

Gareth Train, his wife Stacey, and his brother Nathaniel, gunned down two police officers during an ambush on their rural property in the Western Downs area, west of Brisbane, on December 12, 2022.

Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot at close range within 10 minutes of entering the property to conduct a welfare check on Nathaniel, who had been reported missing by NSW Police. 

Good Samaritan neighbour Alan Dare was also murdered by the Trains when he approached the property to investigate after seeing smoke in the air. 

The Trains, who believed police officers were ‘devils’ or ‘demons’ coming to harm them, were subsequently killed in a gunfight that night after a lengthy siege.

The trio’s off-grid home was put on the market for $190,000 earlier this year to be sold ‘as part of executor responsibilities for a deceased estate’.

‘Hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history,’ its description on realestate.com.au read.

The two-bedroom home was said to be in a ‘dilapidated condition’, with a composting toilet, no off-grid connection for electricity, and no mains water. It relied on a rainwater tank with no functioning pump. 

The ‘house of horrors’ in Wieambilla where two police officers were shot dead by conspiracy theorists has been sold for $190,000

Constable Matthew Arnold (left) and Constable Rachel McCrow were killed by the Trains

Gareth Train and his wife Stacey (pictured), with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, fatally shot the officers during an ambush on their rural property in December 2022

The house of horrors has since been sold by Nathaniel and Stacey’s son Aidan for $190,000 to an unknown pair from Agnes Water, about 120km north of Bundaberg. 

The McCrow and Arnold families had hoped authorities would buy the land and have since urged the Queensland Government and the Queensland Police Union to step in.

‘It is a crime scene marked forever by one of the darkest acts of domestic terrorism in Australian history,’ they told The Courier Mail.

‘It is where Rachel, Matthew and Alan took their final breaths.

‘The idea of an unknown person living there, or of the site becoming a destination for those drawn to extremist violence, is something we should never have to endure.’

The families added that the sale was ‘an absolute insult to the memories of Matt, Rachel, and brave neighbour Alan Dare’.

‘For over three years, we carried a shred of comfort based on a promise to tear down the reminders of that horrific night and transform the property into a sacred memorial site – a place of solace, reflection and a peaceful sanctuary,’ they said. 

The Daily Mail understands the Queensland Police Union has previously led discussions about the Wieambilla property. 

Nathaniel Train (pictured), his brother Gareth and Gareth’s wife Stacey were subsequently killed in a gun fight with police after a lengthy siege

Good Samaritan neighbour Alan Dare (pictured) was also killed by the Trains 

Pictured, the rear of the Trains’ dilapidated two-bedroom property. The listing said it had a composting toilet, no grid or off-grid connection for electricity, and no mains water

Pictured is the inside of the dilapidated home 

Its sale was ultimately a private matter that the state government was not involved in. 

When contacted by this publication about the sale, Queensland Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie expressed sympathy for the grieving families.

‘The Wieambilla shootings remain one of the darkest days in Queensland’s history and my thoughts remain with the families of those who lost their lives,’ he said.

The police union has been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.

A five-week-long inquest in 2024 revealed photos of the compound and the large arsenal of weapons that the Train family had built up. 

One photo showed a large stash of weapons from the home, laid out by authorities, including knives, axes, bats, machetes, what appeared to be a spear, at least a dozen boxes of ammunition, and a bow and arrow.

Another photo showed one of the slain officer’s taser and handgun sitting on an outdoor table after being removed from their bodies by one of the Trains.

Troubling details about the love triangle between the Train brothers and Stacey emerged in the days following the tragedy, with the siblings’ father, Ronald, claiming Gareth ‘took over’ his younger brother’s marriage. 

One photo showed a large stash of weapons from the home, laid out by authorities, including knives, axes, bats, machetes and what appeared to be a spear (pictured)

The deceased officers’ families have criticised the sale of the property (Pictured, Judy McCrow (centre), Rachel McCrow’s mother, and Sue Arnold (right), mother of Matthew Arnold)

Gareth and Nathaniel had become estranged from their conservative Christian pastor father following the breakdown of Stacey’s relationship with Nathaniel.

The siblings and Stacey then became increasingly obsessed with anti-authority conspiracy theories.

Shortly after the constables were shot dead, Gareth and Stacey ranted about ‘devils’ and ‘demons’ in a since-deleted video on their YouTube channel.

The couple recorded themselves huddling in the darkness and boasting about the cold-blooded killings.

In the clip, seen and verified by the Daily Mail at the time, Gareth said: ‘They came to kill us and we killed them’.

Stacey Train finishes the video by saying ‘we’ll see you when you get home’ and ‘love you, Don’. It remains unclear who precisely they are referring to.

Nathaniel Train does not feature in the clip. About three hours after the video was published, the three Train family members were shot dead by tactical police.