Officers are treating the woman’s death at home in Spikes Court, Arundal on Tuesday morning as a homicide.

Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn said it’s possibly an act of domestic violence with the pair known to each other.

The man, understood to have a connection to the Spikes Court, Arundel home, was found two blocks away on the front lawn of another house in Langer Court, Arundel.  He was discovered in semi-conscious state and suffering burn injuries to his hands and airways.

The 35-year-old man has been taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where he is in a serious condition and remains under police guard. Police are not looking for any other suspect.

Police said three children, all under the age of nine years, were also at the Spikes Court residence when the disturbance occurred. All were safe and in police custody.

Queensland Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn the woman had also suffered burn injuries, with police investigating whether there was a possibility that the fire that burned the pair was deliberately lit.

The woman’s identity has not been released. A post mortem will be carried out to determine the exact cause of her death.

“One of the lines of enquiry that we are following is that the male person we located and the deceased female person were known to each other and potential in a previous relationship,” Ahearn said.

“We are obviously very interested to determine if there is a relationship between these two people. As part of that, if there is, we’ll be examining whether we’ve had any previous contact with them.”

He said police had locked down the area, with detectives, forensics and 15 police guarding the scene and a homicide investigation unit established at Surfers Paradise.

Police were Tuesday continuing to canvas residents for any information about the couple.

Police were called to the residence around 6.40am on Tuesday after a neighbour overheard raised voices and reported a disturbance.

Ahearn said first responders were met with a harrowing scene.

“It was obviously a very confronting scene – a female person deceased in the rear yard of a residence apparently suffering from burn-type injuries, so yes it was a confronting scene,” he said.

Ahearn said forensic examiners were continuing to investigate.

“We have tragically a deceased female person in the back yard of a house, so one of our investigations is to determine who that person is and whether they have a connection to that house,” Ahearn said.

“Our forensic specialists are on scene and that examination will take some time.”

He said police were not currently looking for anyone else involved.

“We have an open mind to any scenario that has taken place there. But at this stage we are not seeking another person,” Ahearn said.

He said the man may be moved to a Brisbane hospital for medical treatment on medical advice.

Police will interview the 35-year-old as soon as they are able, he said.

The discovery comes after Brisbane mother Hannah Clarke, 31, was doused with petrol and set alight by her estranged husband while in her car with her three children in February 2020. All four died of their injuries.

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