Two Dutch women and a six-year-old boy have been shot dead in an apparent murder suicide in New York, US media reported.

The two women, aged 47 and 38, were the ex wife and current wife of James Shields, the American man who shot them and then turned the gun on himself in his apartment in Queens.

US media say the 47-year-old woman, named as Linda Olthof, and her son Jimmy lived in the Netherlands and were in New York so the father could get to know his son. Olthof and Shields had been embroiled in a difficult legal battle about contact.

According to the Daily Mail, Shields began an crowdfunding action in April to raise money so he could see his son more often but received no donations.

The Telegraaf said that Shields had left a suicide note behind in which he said ‘I  had a perfect life and now it’s all screwed up.’