He said police located a young child on the front steps of the property and officers “put themselves back into … harm’s way” to safely remove the toddler from the scene.

Specialist police entered the property shortly before 1.45am and discovered the bodies of the man and woman.

Because the deaths occurred during an active police operation, the matter will be reviewed by the Queensland Police Ethical Standards Command, the Guardian reported.

Vanderbyl told reporters on Thursday that the situation became “quite dynamic and quite threatening to police quite quickly”, prompting the need for specialist officers and a negotiator.

He declined to comment on whether the pair had previous interactions with authorities or whether investigators were treating the case as a domestic violence matter.

He added investigators were still working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Murweh Shire Mayor Shaun Radnedge said he had been advised there was no continuing danger to the community, according to the Guardian.

“The situation has been brought to an end,” Radnedge said.

“This tragedy will be felt deeply across our small community. I know many people will be struggling to come to terms with what has happened.”

Local resident Margaret Schiemer, whose family has lived in Charleville since 1920, told Nine News it was a “shock” for the small community.

“It’s just an ordinary bush town. Everybody kind of knows everybody,” she said.