LAST UPDATE | 28 Oct 2020
DOZENS OF SHOCKED locals turned out at a vigil in the Llewellyn estate in Ballinteer this evening following the discovery of the bodies of a mother and two children in a house there.
Forensic examinations took place at the scene this afternoon after gardaí found the bodies of the woman, aged 37, and the children – a boy (6) and a girl (11) – at the house in Llewellyn Court in the southside Dublin suburb.
A man, understood to be the woman’s husband and father to the children, made contact with gardaí today. The investigating team is currently speaking with him.
Speaking at the scene earlier Superintendent Paul Reidy of Blackrock Garda Station said gardaí were alerted to the scene early this afternoon.
Officers forced entry to the house where they discovered the bodies.
The Garda Technical Bureau have attended the scene. The bodies were removed from the scene this evening. Post-mortems are due to be carried out tomorrow. Gardaí said this will inform them of the direction the investigation takes.
“There are no words for what happened here. It is such a tragic tragic day,” Geri Ashe, the secretary of the local residents’ association told TheJournal.ie at this evening’s vigil, which began at 7pm.
Other locals – some carrying torches, others candles – described their absolute shock at the discovery.
“It beggars belief, it really does,” Ashe added.
George O’Toole said he has been living in the housing estate for 40 years and that nothing at all like this has happened before.
“It’s such a tragedy. We don’t know what to say. Speechless. I didn’t know them myself but when something like this happens in your community, you get together and you support each other. My heart goes out the family.”
Candles and other tributes were left under a tree close to the house. Nearby, a park bench was decorated with colourful ribbons.
Earlier Josepha Madigan, a local Fine Gael TD and junior minister, described the discovery of the bodies as a “horrific tragedy”.
“There is a huge amount of sadness and shock in the community,” she said.
With reporting by Cónal Thomas, Órla Dwyer and Daragh Brophy
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