Detectives swarm home of hero doctor Dr Michael Yung who was allegedly murdered at his Adelaide home – as cops probe luxury car theory

Police are investigating whether a botched car theft is behind the alleged brutal murder of Adelaide pediatrician Michael Yung, who was attacked at his home in the middle of the night.

The highly respected doctor, 61, died less than 48 hours after he was allegedly stabbed in the stomach by intruders accused of breaking into his home in Gilberton in the city's north.

Now, detectives are investigating a theory that the young couple accused of the murder allegedly tried to steal one or both of the family's luxury BMWs parked in the driveway outside.

On Friday, Ny Breaking Australia witnessed teams of detectives returning to the crime scene and Dr.'s home and street. Young engulfed them as the investigation continued.

Kerem Aydin, 22, and Jacinta Davila, 27, were arrested in a dramatic police raid outside a supermarket on Tuesday and later charged with Dr Yung's murder.

Court documents show police allege the couple broke in through a first-floor window and were “trespassing” when confronted by Dr Yung.

The documents allege that police believe the couple intended to steal “property valued at more than $30,000” and “used or threatened to use an offensive weapon.”

It is understood that one of the police lines of inquiry is whether the luxury cars at the front may have been the target of the alleged theft attempt.

Dr. Yung was found dying of fatal injuries in his home at 4.30am on Monday and was rushed to hospital where medics fought to save him, but he died on Tuesday.

His 30-year-old son was at the $2 million home in Adelaide's north at the time of the alleged attack and police will allege they arrived to find him 'distraught'.

Dr. Yung – the former head of pediatric intensive care at the Women's and Children's Hospital – was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

He was put into an induced coma after emergency surgery, before his life support was switched off just over 24 hours later.

His family – including relatives who flew across the highway to be at his bedside – made the heartbreaking decision after doctors told them his injuries were “not survivable.”

His alleged killers, from the western suburb of Thebarton, were arrested at a shopping center in neighboring Torrensville on Tuesday evening.

Footage showed Aydin being knocked to the ground by a plainclothes police officer around 7:30 p.m.

Davila was then seen running out of the shopping center pushing their eight-month-old child in a stroller, before she was also arrested by heavily armed officers from the Special Tasks And Rescue team.

Police allege the couple stole a first aid kit from the Chemist Warehouse on the Square to treat Aydin's injuries and shoplifted from Drake's Foodland store just before their arrest.

The couple have each been charged with murder, aggravated serious criminal offense and committing theft with violence.

They appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link on Wednesday. Aydin, who wore a bandage over his bruised and swollen left eye, did not apply for bail.

Davila, who cried during her appearance, will return to court next Wednesday, where the court will consider releasing her on house arrest bail.

Her lawyer said she was the sole caregiver of the couple's eight-month-old baby and that remaining in custody during a lengthy trial would cause the child unnecessary hardship.

The couple had tried unsuccessfully to co-parent after the child was conceived during a one-night stand, he said.

The area has been plagued by a series of car thefts in recent times, with the thieves breaking into posh homes and stealing car keys before driving away in the luxury vehicles.

CCTV footage from a neighboring house a few days earlier showed a gang of five men trying to steal another car on the same street.

SA Police Chief Inspector Des Bray said detectives have been working closely with officers from Operation Mandrake, which was set up to investigate a spate of recent car thefts.

“(Operation Mandrake) involves up to 15 incidents of people trying to break into homes or steal vehicles in Gilberton, Walkerville, Medindie, Henley Beach, Fulham and Tennyson,” Supt Bray said.

He added that Dr. Yung was likely targeted “because of his vehicle or small items they could steal.”

On Thursday, Dr Yung's brother Simon said he did not believe the surgeon knew his alleged killers, describing him as a “truly selfless man”.

“My brother Michael had a heart bigger than himself,” he told 7News.

“He literally worked on a dirt floor to set up a pediatric intensive care unit. And God only knows how many lives he has saved or improved and that is typical of him.”

Dr. Yung was the former head of pediatric intensive care at the Women's and Children's Hospital and had practiced medicine for almost four decades.

He established an ICU in Kenya and also practiced in remote Aboriginal communities.

The pediatrician's death is the latest tragedy for his family after Kathryn Browne-Yung, his wife, a health policy expert, died suddenly in her sleep in March 2020.

Shortly after her death, Dr. created Yung a $5,000 scholarship to support indigenous medical students in the name of his “kind, thoughtful and intelligent” wife.

“Every cent he earned from his work as an observer he put into that scholarship fund,” Simon Yung said.

His family has requested that donations be made to the Kathryn Browne-Yung Scholarship Fund in lieu of flowers.