A woman is accused of killing two schoolboys in the west of New South Wales twice.

The boys, who were six and seven years old, were discovered dead on Monday afternoon at a semi-rural home outside of Coonabarabran in northwest New South Wales. Since then, a 66-year-old woman has been charged with two murders by the police. She will appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday after being denied bail. The woman is reportedly still residing at an Orange mental health facility.

Following an emergency response triggered by a message sent to the justice department and communities, two officers visited the residence on Monday afternoon. The boys’ deaths were discovered in different bedrooms by the officers when they broke into the residence. Detectives from the state’s homicide squad and officers from the Orana mid-western police district have begun an investigation after establishing a crime scene.

On Friday, grieving residents of a small rural community came together to honour the two boys’ lives. Each youngster was to get a tree, and the yellow belts of the karate pupils were to be presented ceremoniously. Kodi Brady, a councillor for Warrumbungle Shire, told AAP he hoped the vigil would aid the community in overcoming the tragedy.“It’s a really important part, to take the community on the stepping stone of healing from the shock of the incident to another step forward in the grief and loss process,” he said. “We’re a small rural town, there is such a ripple effect… it has impacted the whole community.”