A 31-year-old man is expected to be charged with murder, following the death of a 12-year-old girl in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Police took the man into custody about 8am at Rutherford, near Maitland, after the girl’s body was allegedly found in the bedroom of a Aberglasslyn home two hours earlier.

The incident was believed to be “domestic-related” and the death was being treated as “suspicious”, police said in a statement.

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Detective Superintendent Craig Jackson told reporters on Wednesday the man in custody was the girl’s step-father.

“No matter how you look at this, this is nothing short of a tragedy,” he said.

He did not confirm the cause of death.

Det Supint Jackson said there had been no prior reports of domestic violence at the home.

The 31-year-old was taken to Maitland Police Station where he was assisting with inquiries.

The suspected domestic violence incident was believed to be the third of its kind in NSW in three days with fatal consequences.

A man was charged with murdering his heavily pregnant partner in Mount Druitt yesterday, and a woman and her blind baby girl died in a suspected murder suicide in Campsie on Monday.

Police investigating the death are speaking to alleged witnesses.