Antrim tragedy: Deaths of girl, 8, and two adults being treated as a murder-suicide

A 41-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and a girl aged eight were found at their home in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, shortly after 9 am on Monday.

The PSNI’s Mid & East Antrim District Commander, Superintendent William Calderwood, said yesterday that ambulance workers were met with a "shocking scene" upon arriving at the house.

The parents of the girl were from Poland while she was born in the North, it’s understood.

"We would ask that the public avoid speculation while we make those who live outside Northern Ireland aware of their deaths," Supt Calderwood said. "We await the results of post-mortem examinations and are keeping an open mind as to what has occurred.

"A strong hypothesis is this was a double murder followed by a sudden death. As such, at this stage, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths."

Toys could be seen outside the house yesterday and a pair of child’s sandals were drying on a washing line near the rural stretch of road. Flowers have been left at the house by neighbors who are said to be shocked at the tragedy.

It is thought the deaths occurred on Sunday, with police arriving at the bungalow the next morning after receiving a report from the public.

Supt Calderwood said there will be an increased police presence at the house today as a "significant number" of detectives and local police are working night and day on the case.

"The community has been left in total shock and we are engaging with local representatives as our investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths proceeds at pace,’ he said. ‘I have spoken personally with each of the first-responding officers. Early support has been provided and trauma-focused care will continue."

Jim Allister, local MP for North Antrim and leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), said yesterday the young age of the child who was killed "adds an extra dimension of horror to what has happened.

"My heart goes out to the relatives in the Ballymena area and to those in Poland," he said. "I am also mindful of the school friends of the child and the distress they will suffer. The gruesome scene with which first responders and forensic officers had to deal is a reminder of how hard their job can be. We are grateful for all they do. Even as the shock subsides over coming days, there will be a lasting effect in the neighborhood of this awful event."

Jack Gibson, Alliance Party councillor for Ballymena, told the Irish Daily Mail yesterday: "An event like this will leave the town as a whole reeling from this for some time, and everyone’s thoughts are with those involved and affected by this because it’s a horrendous story.

"It’s obvious that what happened has been a terrible tragedy. The statistics show that this has been a particularly bad year for violence against women in Northern Ireland. It certainly looks like it’s going to be adding to those already very tragic statistics. The best thing that we can do at the minute is to give the police the space to do their work."

He said that "we saw in Ballymena the impact of people speculating on crime", referring to riots targeting immigrants across the North last month.’ He added: "This event is going to be something that’s going to leave an impact here for some time."

Jon Burrows, MLA for North Antrim, also linked the incident to violence against women, with the North having one of the highest rates of femicide in Europe.

Since 2020, 30 women have died in violent circumstances in the North compared to 52 in the South, according to Women’s Aid.

In a post on social media, Mr Burrows wrote: "Without commenting on the specifics of this case, it is an important reminder that domestic abuse and violence against women and girls remain a tragic reality in our society.

"While many of us are enjoying the summer holidays, sporting events and community celebrations, for some there is no escape from fear, coercion or abuse behind closed doors."

Jerome Mullen, honorary consul for Poland in the North, said the community was left in complete shock at the deaths of the family.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One yesterday, Mr Mullen said it is the first time in 18 years of being honorary consul that he has experienced a tragedy like this among the Polish community in the North.

"We are just absolutely devastated at the news that the family is from Poland,’ he said. ‘The child was born in Northern Ireland so that means they’ve been here a little longer than eight years."

He said Poland’s diplomatic mission in Belfast will provide full consular assistance to ‘relatives in the community of those who died’.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.