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A grieving mother has recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned her son had died in his partner’s arms after he was stabbed in a frenzied attack.
The manhunt continues for four young males who allegedly ambushed Jamie Barlow, 48, and stabbed him up to 18 times at his home in Laidley, west of Brisbane, on Monday night in what police describe as a targeted attack.
The armed suspects, believed to aged in their late teens or early 20s, allegedly attacked Mr Barlow near the rear stairs of his home and set the property alight before fleeing.
Mr Barlow was still alive when emergency services arrived but died in his partner’s arms at the scene.
Debra Barlow last spoke to her son a day earlier on Sunday.
There’s been an outpouring of tributes for Jamie Barlow (pictured) after he was allegedly stabbed to death at home on Monday night
‘I am in shock. I can’t believe it’s happened, I can’t believe the way it’s happened,’ she told Nine News.
She recalled the devastating phone call from her son’s partner to say he had died.
‘She said his body is lying on the lawn, there’s a sheet on it, there’s no one around,’ Ms Barlow said.
‘That got me, I have just been sitting here all night.’
Mr Barlow’s home was gutted in the blaze, which killed several pet snakes.
Police spent Tuesday examining the property and cordoned off surrounding streets for much of the day.
Homicide detectives are investigating if drugs or a drug debt may have been a motive and believe more than one weapon was involved.
‘We don’t believe it was a random attack, we believe it was a targeted attack on the victim,’ Queensland Detective Gary Watts said.
Debra Barlow (left) received the devastating news about her son from his partner
Police say the suspects confronted Mr Barlow’s partner before fleeing in a car headed towards the Warrego Highway.
‘She was confronted by the four persons and they have then left,’ Det Watts said.
‘She has witnessed what can only be described as a horrific incident and she is assisting us with our inquiries.’
Mr Barlow’s tragic death has sparked an outpouring of tributes.
‘I was there when this all happened,’ his shattered partner wrote online
‘I loved Jamie, and I’m going to miss him.
‘I’m hurting so much.’
Police spent much of Tuesday examining Mr Barlow’s gutted home
Friends remembered Mr Barlow as a great mate.
‘Jamie was a great bloke (who) had a heart of gold and would give the shirt off his back for someone else if they needed it more,’ Kel Maree Gilmour told the Chronicle.
‘He would always take time to stop for a yarn or a smile and wave.
‘His smile will be missed … He had a kind nature and a good heart.
Mr Barlow’s shattered family are determined to get justice and had a message for his alleged killers.
‘When they catch them and take them to court, we will be there every day,’ his mother said.
Mr Barlow’s Laidley home remains a crime scene as the manhunt for his killers continues
