The three children of the Waianakarua couple killed on Thursday are staying with family, trying to cope with the loss of their parents.
They had asked for privacy to do that, head of the inquiry into the homicide, Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis said yesterday.
Kim Gordon Simpson (51) was killed about 4.15am in a car crash on State Highway 1, about 2km south of the Olive Grove Lodge and Holiday Park he owned with his wife, Lynette Mary Simpson (52).
His Land Rover Freelander crossed the centre-line while travelling south and hit an oncoming truck, police said.
When police went to notify Mrs Simpson of the crash about 7am, they found her dead. That led to a homicide inquiry at both sites.
Two sons, in their late teens, were sleeping in a sleepout and did not know what had happened to their parents until police arrived.
Det Snr Sgt Inglis said they, and an older sister, were staying with family outside North Otago.
''They are coping with family, as best they can, to come to grips with what has happened,'' he said.
Postmortems had been completed in Dunedin on the couple and police were awaiting autopsy reports before they could say how Mrs Simpson had died.
Earlier, Det Snr Sgt Inglis had said it was ''a violent death'' and confirmed yesterday a weapon, but not a firearm, had been used.
At the start of the inquiry, about 20 were involved in the investigation at both the crash site and holiday camp.
That was reduced to 10 for scene examination at the holiday park, which was completed late on Friday, he said.
About five to six officers were working on inquiries yesterday and would continue to do so over the next week, when it was hoped reports would be ready to refer to the coroner.
''Some people we still need to interview are away for Easter,'' he said.
