The bodies of a mother and her daughter have been found at a house in Carryduff, Co Down just outside Belfast. Nobody is being sought in connection with the tragedy.
Friends of Ms Madeleine O'Neill grew concerned when phone calls to her house went unanswered at the beginning of the week. The discovery of the two bodies was made late on Tuesday in an upstairs room, but only announced late on Wednesday.
The bodies of two dogs who were family pets were also found. Postmortems have been carried out but the results not yet been made public.
Police at Castlereagh in east Belfast describe their investigation as being at an early stage. But they have said they are not looking to speak to anyone else in connection with the tragedy. One line of inquiry is that Ms O'Neill, nee Gormley, may have killed her daughter Lauren (9), before taking her own life.
Her detached house in Manse Park is a quiet residential area of Carryduff, a dormitory town for Belfast which is five miles away. The home at the end of a cul-de-sac was still cordoned off by the PSNI yesterday and the motorcycle used by the distressed family friend who discovered the bodies remains at the scene.
A broken pane of glass in the front door is the only visible evidence of the tragedy which occurred inside.
The house is on the market following the separation of Ms O'Neill and her husband, John, who married in 1991. Local priest Fr Brian Waters at Drumbo and Carryduff parish offered prayers for the mother and daughter at morning Mass yesterday. He said the deaths were a "terrible tragedy".
"Her family are distressed," he said. "My concerns are with the family and looking after their pastoral concerns at the moment." The O'Neills are originally from Derry and only moved to Co Down in recent years.
Fr Colm O'Doherty, who officiated at the couple's wedding 14 years ago in the Pennyburn area of Derry, said he had known both the O'Neill and the Gormley families well.
"A nicer person you could not have met," he said of the dead woman. "To hear that she has died and certainly in such a tragic way really is devastating not just for myself, but for her family and the O'Neill family.
"It's tragic this has happened." The funeral is to take place today.
Fr O'Doherty added: "A mother and daughter dying in such tragic circumstances touches everyone's heart.
"We just pray for them today and for all who are saddened by what has happened."
In Carryduff local SDLP councillor Brian Hanvey said the news had shocked the local community. "Like most people in Carryduff I woke up this morning to hear the tragic news and felt devastated.
"The situation - especially the involvement of a child - is just heart-wrenching and everyone here will find it difficult to come to terms with," he said.
"My sympathy goes out to those who are left behind." Ms Iris Robinson, DUP MP for the area, said she too was shocked and offered her sympathies to the family.