The 27-year-old mother who allegedly admitted to trying to drown her children in the Murray River on Thursday is likely to be charged with more offences, a court hearing was told on Saturday.
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The woman, who has so far been charged with attempted murder, did not appear for the brief hearing on Saturday.
The woman's five-year-old son is still missing feared drowned in the Murray River in Moama while her nine-year-old son is in a serious condition in hospital.
The mother-of-two chose not to attend the local court house in Deniliquin, where she was extradited to from Victoria on Friday evening.
She was remanded until another hearing on Monday in Deniliquin.
"We anticipate there will another charge," the police prosecutor told the court.
The mother is expected to be transferred from Deniliquin police station to Junee Correctional Centre later today.
She has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly taking the two boys to the river in Moama, on the NSW-Victoria border.
The mother of the two boys has been charged with attempted murder. She can not be identified because of legal reasons. Photo: Facebook
Her aunt was standing outside the court grounds in Deniliquin with some friends waiting for her niece to arrive.
"We're all asking: Why, -----, why? We want answers," she said.
The mother can not be identified because of legal reasons.
Her aunt said the Department of Human Services, police and corrections authorities "have a lot to answer for" in how the tragedy unfolded and why it wasn't prevented.
"Nothing was done when the family was calling for help," she said.
The father of the boys has spoken of his devastation and said he was numb after learning about what had happened.
The children had been in the care of their grandparents and their grandmother remains by the nine-year-old's side at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
Dale Brooks, representing the children's grandmother, said the boys' mother had been living in a caravan on the back of the grandparents' property in Deniliquin since she was released from jail in February.
Mr Brooks said he understood the woman had served roughly six months' jail time for breaking and entering. The grandparents last year took out an apprehended violence order against the woman, who underwent a mental health assessment after a decline in her mental state on Wednesday.
"What's really, really troubling about it was neither the police nor the Department of Corrective Services or Family and Community Services actually considered the risk to these little fellers," Mr Brooks said.
On Friday, police told a Victorian court that she had told her eldest son to get in the river where she held his head under the water before he escaped and was then attacked by a pit bull dog that happened to be in the area.
The woman then allegedly turned to her younger son, who had been screaming, and held his face under the water.
The search for the boy resumed on Saturday morning with police and emergency service boats back on the water and divers expected to pick up where they left off at dark on Friday.
Detective Sergeant Trent Swinton told the Victorian court on Friday that the woman made full admissions to her role in the incident, and told police of her "intention to kill both children". The court also heard she allegedly told witnesses the night before that she "had to drown my babies".
A neighbour outside the court on Saturday, said it was impossible to imagine what the grandmother of the children was going through.
"This was her daughter and it happened to her grandchildren. And the child (in hospital) has lost his mother and probably his brother, it will change his life forever. It's awful," they said.
Deniliquin locals say the grandparents were well-respected. Others said that while they did not know the mother personally, they knew of her and her "problems".
"The town's pretty shocked and it's hit a nerve," one said.
