A PRAYER SERVICE will take place this evening in Co Clare for Vanessa Whyte and her two children, James and Sara Rutledge, who were killed in a suspected triple murder in Co Fermanagh earlier this week.

Ms Whyte, a 45-year-old vet originally from Barefield, near Ennis, died alongside her 14-year-old son James and 13-year-old daughter Sara following a shooting at their home outside Maguiresbridge on Wednesday morning.

The service will be held at 7pm at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield, near Ennis.

Members of the local community and Ms Whyte’s family, including her brother, who travelled home from Australia, are expected to attend.

Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third later died in hospital.

A man from the same household remains in a serious condition.

Police said they are not expecting to make any arrests and are treating the case as a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide.

Ms Whyte had been working as a veterinary officer for Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), and previously spent eight years at Lakeland Vets in Derrygonnelly.

She has been remembered by former colleagues as a “hard-working” professional and a “devoted mum”.

James and Sara were students at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, where a book of memories was opened for classmates and staff on Friday.

Both children had been active in their local GAA and cricket clubs, and had previously attended Maguiresbridge Primary School, where a separate book of condolences is also open.

Hundreds of people attended a community vigil in Maguiresbridge on Friday evening to remember the family.

Vanessa Whyte’s local GAA club, St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield, described the deaths as a “tragic loss” and remembered her as a “very accomplished camogie player” with a long-standing connection to the club.

Funeral arrangements for the three are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

Additional reporting from PA