In a final heartbreaking display of unity, allegedly murdered Rockhampton mother Tayla Black and daughter Murphy Margaret were farewelled in a single coffin at their funeral service.
Tayla, 30, and 11-week-old Murphy were laid to rest together after their husband and father Mathew Cox allegedly killed them almost three weeks ago on August 8.
Hundreds of mourners packed Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and family paying tribute following their senseless deaths.
A memorial booklet filled with sweet photos of the pair read: ‘We love you both every day of your life and we will miss you for the rest of ours’.
The funeral notice for the mother and daughter described them as ‘precious and deeply loved’ by their devastated family and friends.
It also described a special bond between Ms Black and Murphy Margaret.
No photos of Cox were played on the slideshow, with no reference to the alleged killer of the mother and daughter made during the service.
Ms Black’s sister Jodie said she would remember her cheeky smile and husky voice, adding that becoming a new mum had meant ‘everything’ to her.
‘She could light up a room and belt out a tune better than Miley Cyrus – her doppelganger,’ she said.
‘Becoming a new mum was everything to her and I believe she was born to do it. When I got the message of Murphy’s arrival I got butterflies in my stomach knowing I had a little niece and Isla a baby cousin.’
‘I solely wish I could have held that little finger and kissed her [Murphy] on the nose.’
Jodie said her sister had loved dressing Murphy up even if they weren’t leaving the house and had given birth naturally, spending just one night in hospital.
‘We will think of you every day and hold you both in our hearts forever. I will take comfort in knowing how many lives you have both touched and love you have brought to all. Souls will always live on in hearts of those left behind,’ she said.
‘We love you both past the moon and miss you beyond the stars.’
Heartbroken family and friends gathered to farewell Rockhampton mother and daughter Tayla Cox and Murphy Margaret on Friday (pictured is the front of the memorial booklet)
Rockhampton mother Tayla Cox and daughter Murphy Margaret were farewelled in a single coffin at their funeral service (pictured)
Ms Black’s parents and her childhood friend of over 20 years Jordan were seen weeping as they stood beside the coffin containing the mother and baby
Tayla Black (right), 30, and her baby girl Murphy (centre) were found dead in their Rockhampton home. Her husband, Matthew (left), has been charged with their murders
Tayla’s parents, Gerry and Annmaree Black, thanked the Rockhampton community for its support following the deaths of their daughter and granddaughter.
‘We would like to start today by saying thanks to family, friends and colleagues. Detective senior constable Peter Cumin, all the QPS team and first responders – for you all who are helping to guide us through this difficult time,’ Mr Black said.
‘Thanks to Pat Clemms, the coronial councilor, thank you Sarah from Queens homicide support group, thank you Tony Williams from the Rockhampton regional council and all the community for your support – we say thank you.’
Ms Black said the couple could feel ‘everyone wrapping their arms around us’ and said the couple had been in their ‘own little bubble’.
‘So for now all that is left to say is forever in each others arms, fly high visit often. Always was Tayla Black. Always will be Murphy Margaret. We love you,’ she said.
Ms Black’s parents (pictured at the front of the coffin) thanked the community for their support
Ms Black said she and her husband Gerry (pictured left) had been in ‘their own little bubble’ in the three weeks since the death of their daughter and grandchild
Hundreds of mourners packed Rockhampton Baptist Church to say a final goodbye on Friday
Tayla’s grandmother, Margaret, attended the sombre Rockhampton service in her wheelchair
Mourners embraced after farewelling the ‘precious and deeply loved’ mother and daughter
Ms Black had first met Cox when they worked together at Flight Centre.
The pair began dating in 2015, were engaged in November 2018 and wed on the Gold Coast in May 2021.
They previously lived in Victoria where Cox grew up, but moved to Rockhampton in November 2022 when he landed a job as a TV account manager at Southern Cross Austereo.
Read Related Also: Severed heads, wigs and alligators: Inside Prigozhin’s St Petersburg mansion raided by Putin’s goons after Wagner chief’s failed coup – two months before his plane crashed
Ms Cox had proudly posted on Facebook the news that they had bought the house.
‘New chapter, can’t wait to make so many amazing memories with our beautiful little family,’ she wrote.
Police initially visited the Rockhampton home for a welfare check after Cox attended the Fortitude Valley Police Station on August 10.
He allegedly drove to Rockhampton Airport in his wife’s white MG SUV and flew to Brisbane where he stayed two nights in the Constance Fortitude Valley hotel.
Ms Black and and her daughter were later found dead in their Rockhampton home.
While the cause of death has not been confirmed, Detective Superintendent Darrin Shadlow said the alleged victims had lacerations on their bodies and ‘there was a large amount of blood’ at the scene.
Cox was charged with two counts of murder on the night he attended the station.
Police said there was no previous history of domestic violence between the couple as Cox’s parents broke their silence about the tragedy earlier this month.
A memorial booklet was filled with photos of the allegedly murdered mother and daughter
Hundreds of mourners packed Rockhampton Baptist Church to say goodbye, with heartbroken friends and family paying tribute following their senseless deaths
The single white casket is seen arriving to the Rockhampton Baptist Church on Friday
A week after their remains were discovered, Ms Cox’s sister Casie Black told Daily Mail Australia: ‘I’m in utter shock.’
‘We have lost a beautiful daughter-in-law Tayla, but also our much-loved granddaughter Murphy,’ couple Denis Cox and Linda Lind wrote.
‘At this stage, we have very few other details and are in an absolute state of shock. We ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve and try and process what has occurred.’
The matter was first mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. Cox did not appear in court and remains behind bars at Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Cox was ordered to appear again on October 30 with a brief of evidence to be provided by October 9.
After police attended the Rockhampton home, a crime scene was set up and multiple police, forensic and scientific officers attended the property over the coming days, combing every surface of the home.
Earlier this month, the local council paid tribute to Ms Black and baby Murphy by shining a pink light on Rockhampton Customs House on the main street.
Ms Black grew up in Rockhampton and attended St Ursula’s College in Yeppoon.
The funeral notice for the pair (pictured) described them as ‘precious and deeply loved’ by their devastated family and friends
Matthew Cox and Tayla Black (pictured during her pregnancy) were living in Victoria before they moved back to Rockhampton after purchasing their home in November 2022
Proud grandmother Linda (right) recently shared a photo posing with her son Matthew Cox (left) and his baby girl Murphy
She was a repair coordinator for a construction company in the Rockhampton suburb of Berserker. She was on maternity leave at the time of her death.
‘Always be kind,’ her Facebook bio states.
She and Cox lived in Victoria for some time during their relationship and had been together for almost eight years, according to his Facebook.
They moved back to Rockhampton after purchasing their three bedroom Park Avenue home in November 2022.
The move came as Cox secured a job at a local radio station as his wife took to Facebook to celebrate the purchase of their new home.
‘New chapter, can’t wait to make so many amazing memories with our beautiful little family,’ Ms Black wrote.
In February, she shared a happy snap of her husband cradling her baby bump while enjoying a break on Great Keppel Island.
‘We can’t wait to meet you,’ she wrote.
