Police received a report about 2.30pm on Sunday saying there were two bodies at an outstation, about 25km north of the city.

“Upon police arrival that report was unfortunately confirmed, with an adult female and adult male located at the scene,” Acting Commander Mark Grieve told reporters on Monday.

“Tragically, there was also a third deceased and that was a young infant child.”

Officers established a crime scene at the property and detectives remain at the scene.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Grieve said as he advised the media that no further details would be released.

“We have to ensure that the crime members are able to run the course and do a thorough and complete investigation in order to determine the circumstances around this tragic incident.”

Grieve said respect for the deceased people’s family was also a “paramount consideration”.

“I can only imagine what sort of impact this will have upon that community. And it’s an impact that we’ll be working alongside them to try and overcome as best we can,” he said.

He also assured the public that there was not an ongoing threat to the community.

“I would like to confirm for everyone there is certainly no safety concerns for Alice Springs or the surrounding community as a result of this incident,” he said.