Two Irish women – believed to be mother and daughter – were found dead in a Spanish apartment yesterday, it emerged late last night.
A man – the woman’s husband and the daughter’s father – was also found dead. He was a British national. All three died from gunshot wounds.
The couple were aged in their 50s, and their daughter, in her late 20s.
The discovery was made at a property on the Costa del Sol yesterday. The three bodies were found in the apartment in Mijas, Fuengirola by their landlord.
Local police said they are working on the theory that the deaths were a murder-suicide.
It is thought the three died from gunshot wounds fired by one of the adults. It’s understood a suicide note was found at the apartment with the name of the man marked as a signature.
Mijas is a popular town with a reputation for being family-friendly with its many cafes and restaurants. The house where the incident occurred is believed to be a four-bed three-storey villa with a swimming pool on a quiet street.
It’s understood the family were probably residents in Spain rather than visiting the region.
A Guardia Civil spokeswoman said the family were renting the property where they were found. “The latest information we have is that the owner of the house had not heard from the family for a few days and had not been paid,” she said.
“He went to the house today and when there was no reply at the door, he went inside. Inside he saw the man dead on the sofa and immediately called the Guardia Civil.
“When officers inspected the house they found the wife and the daughter dead in a bedroom. The initial hypothesis at this early stage of the investigation is that this was a murder-suicide.”
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was liaising with the Spanish authorities on the matter. As of last night, the department was still attempting to make contact the family of the deceased in Ireland.
The British Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and officials were last night in contact with local authorities in order to ascertain the facts as to what had occurred.
There was some suggestion last night that the daughter may have suffered from a learning difficulty but this has not been confirmed.
