Wieambilla shooting: Slain cop Matthew Arnold was set to introduce new girlfriend to family

The new girlfriend of slain cop Matthew Arnold had been looking forward to meeting her beau’s family for the first time when he was murdered by doomsday preppers. 

Constable Arnold, 26, had not only been planning to reunite with his family for Christmas, but was preparing for ‘the big introduction’ of Arliah Trevanion to his loved ones. 

Arliah and Matthew, who was one of triplets, had exchanged messages on Instagram about their plans to meet up on Wednesday last week. 

Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train shot Mr Arnold dead at their Wieambilla property last Monday afternoon, while they attended a call-out for a missing person at a home in the regional Queensland town.

The new girlfriend of slain cop Matthew Arnold had been looking forward to meeting her beau’s family and triplet siblings for the first time. Constable Arnold was preparing for ‘the big introduction’ of Arliah Trevanion

Constable Matt Arnold told his new sweetheart Arliah Trevanion: ‘Don’t know how I’m going to go 7 whole days without seeing you! But I’m already looking forward to seeing you when I get back.’ Tragically he would die two days before they could meet again

Ms Trevanion has previously shared the poignant last message sent by Constable Arnold just five days before he was shot dead where he told her she’s ‘absolutely amazing’. 

The Train trio ambushed Mr Arnold and his colleague Rachel McCrow, 29, in a ‘kill zone’ in their driveway, before shooting a neighbour, Alan Dare, 58, dead when he came to investigate. Two fellow officers narrowly escaped with their lives.  

While grieving the shocking loss of her young boyfriend, who she had been dating for three months, Ms Trevanion shared a heartbreaking series of messages alongside an emoji of a police officer and a white dove. 

‘I had an absolutely amazing day with you today, I always do. I’m so glad I got to share it with you,’ Constable Arnold told her just days before he was murdered. 

Arliah Trevanion (above in Brisbane) had been dating Tara cop Matthew Arnold for about three months and the young couple had met up five days before his death and were just two days off being reunited again before Christmas

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In a poignant last message between the sweethearts posted by the young constable just five days before he was shot dead point at blank range, Matt told Arliah Trevanion, ‘I think you’re absolutely amazing… I’ll be back Wednesday’

‘And I’m glad we could talk about everything and you felt comfortable and safe enough to talk to me about everything as well.

‘Don’t know how I’m going to go 7 whole days without seeing you! But I’m already looking forward to seeing you when I get back. I hope you had as good a day as I did!.’ 

Chillingly, Constable Arnold added: ‘And I’ll be back Wednesday morning next week.’

But his life would be cut short two days shy of his next day with Arliah – known as Arli – in Brisbane and reuniting with his family in the lead-up to Christmas.

The devastated young girlfriend of Constable Arnold shared this tribute to him on social media, in which she said she wished ‘we got more time together’ and that he made her ‘so happy’

She wrote alongside the Instagram post, saying ‘you were meant to be with me today’, and also shared a series of poignant tributes.

Posting a picture of Constable Arnold enjoying a sunny bushwalk, she wrote: ‘I wish we got more time together, you made me so goddamn happy.’

In another post, she wrote: ‘RIP Matt, I loved our time together. I’ll miss you so much.’ 

Ms Trevanion works at a Brisbane cafe and is understood to have done some child safety work in the Western Downs out of Toowoomba when she met Constable Arnold in about August.  

During her romance with the 26-year-old police officer, Tara townsfolk said they believed the young couple had planned a bright future together even from early on.

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Arliah Trevanion, above with her father Mike, a preacher in the country town of Mundubbera, is said to be heartbroken about the tragic death of Matt Arnold, her sweetheart of just three months

Ms Trevanion is grieving with family members in central Queensland.

She is the daughter of preachers Bonnie and Michael Trevanion, who lead the New Life Church in the rural town of Mundubbera.

Her mother declined to comment to Daily Mail Australia about her daughter’s loss, and a friend said ‘she’s not doing well at the present moment’.

A nature lover and hiker, Ms Trevanion is very close to her father Mike who she calls ‘my best friend’. 

She had clicked with Constable Arnold, who had been working to tackle the town of Tara’s methamphetamine drug crime issues and make it ‘a better place’.

‘There’s a drug problem here in Tara and his mission was to clear the town of drugs,’ the woman said.

Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, (pictured) was already preparing to go home to see friends and family at Christmas

Childcare worker Jodie Eckhart said Constables Arnold and McCrow had visited her childcare centre on the earlier in the day they were dead.

She said a man had been speeding past the centre and when police were called to investigate, the police partners turned up on what would be their last shift.

Ms Eckhart said when she became aware of something happening 30km up the road at Wieambilla that afternoon, she felt trepidation. 

When Ms McCrow’s blue heeler began howling from the yard of the police houses where she and Constable Arnold lived: ‘I just knew something was wrong’. 

The two constables, who were among five police officers based at Tara, had been living in police houses out the back of the Tara police station.

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29 (pictured) and Matthew Arnold, 26, were both stationed at Tara police station

Constable Arnold already had his car packed at the house to go home for Christmas when he got the call to go to work last Monday.

He and Constable McCrow were shot in the head soon after arriving on the Trains’ property just after 4.30pm last Monday.

They were conducting a routine check for missing school principal Nathaniel Train with two other colleagues, Constable Keely Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, when they were killed.

Ms Trevanion (pictured) is said to be heartbroken as she grieves with family members in central Queensland

A close friend of Constable Arnold told Daily Mail Australia the young cop’s car was packed, ready to drive the four hours home to Brisbane to see his parents last Tuesday for the Christmas holidays.

‘He was meant to come home today and start his Christmas holidays with friends,’ she said. 

‘He would already be driving back home if he never got that call yesterday.’

Constable Arnold’s triplet sister Hayley took to social media last Tuesday night to pay tribute to her brother.

‘I can’t begin to explain the love and bond we had,’ she wrote. ‘As triplets, we were born together and were meant to grow old together.

Police had attended the Queensland property as part of inquiries into missing man Nathaniel Train (pictured), last seen in Dubbo in central-west NSW a year ago

Faces of the dead: Matthew Arnold, 26, was killed upon arriving at the property, as was Rachel McCrow, 29

‘One third of me is gone, and in place is a physical heartbreak pain I’ve had since we received that knock on the door.

‘You were meant to come home today and stay home for Christmas. You should’ve been able to come home.’

Constable Brough managed to flee into nearby bushland and sent a series of frantic texts to colleagues and loved ones. Constable Kirk also managed to escape, despite a gunshot wound to the leg.

Alan Dale heard the commotion from a neighbouring property and ran out to help, but he was tragically killed in the massacre.