First photo of husband, wife and son killed in "appalling incident" in Louth

Neighbours heard screaming and ran to raise the alarm at about 10am yesterday morning in the Drumgowna area of Co. Louth. Husband and wife, Mark and Louise O’Connor, and their son Evan were all stabbed to death at the family home near Tallanstown, around 12 kilometres southwest of Dundalk.

Mr O’Connor worked with people with mental difficulties as an employee with the National Advocacy Service For People With Disabilities. His wife Louise volunteered with Save The Elders Foundation, which works with older members of Masai tribes in Tanzania.

She recently posted on TikTok about her excitement that Christmas was approaching.

Members of the Armed Support Unit, along with regular Garda units and the emergency services, all rushed to the scene after the alarm had been raised.

There, they discover the bodies of three adults.

 Security sources described the harrowing scene, including a significant amount of evidence that the victims had suffered a violent death.

A man was arrested, detained and then brought to hospital for medical treatment after suffering what gardaí believe were several self-inflicted injuries.

One person familiar with the family said that the suspect had become increasingly disturbed in recent weeks, which was of concern to the O’Connor family.

Police outside the O'Connor family home, the crime scene, in County Louth.

All three of those who lost their lives were very well respected in the local community and the family was involved in athletics in the area. The father, Mark, recently ran the Boston Marathon in April this year, where he was greeted by his son Cian, who had been studying in the US city.

Just two weeks ago, Mark and Louise celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. Posting on his own social media page, Mr O’Connor shared a photograph of himself and his wife on their wedding day and wrote: "There I am with Louise Doherty O’Connor 33 years ago today. Still very much in love."

Gardaí are still trying to ascertain a motive for the attack.

However, one avenue of investigation is that the alleged killer had been suffering with significant mental health challenges for much of his adult life before he attacked the family members.

Officers were carrying out searches of the house and the grounds around it yesterday as they searched for anything of evidential value.

Security sources stressed that investigations are at a very early stage and warned of misinformation being spread on messaging apps.

"The family involved in this tragedy were just like any other family across the country,’ one source explained.

Mark and Louise O'Connor (Via social media)

"They were involved in local clubs and were heavily involved in athletics. The father had just been to the US to run a marathon and to be with his son. There were pictures of visits to the baseball stadium at Fenway Park.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary which makes this all the more shocking.

"The son in the US is now making preparations to come home. You can only imagine what is going through his head.

"His mother, father and brother have all been killed. It’s truly unimaginable."

Councillor John Sheridan said he would have been at the house during the local elections and that the family is very well-liked and respected.

He said that it was "an extremely sad" day for the area and added that his thoughts and prayers are with the extended O’Connor family and their friends.

"This is a really, really quiet rural community where everyone knows everyone. The family is hugely respected and they are really part of the community.

"My thoughts are with them and the whole community which has been affected.

"We hear of tragic events quite often. We don’t expect them to happen in our own locality. There is a huge degree of shock in the area."

Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, expressed his shock at the news of the deaths of the three people.

"This is a truly shocking and appalling incident which has absolutely stunned the whole community all over Co. Louth. The fact that three members of one family seem to have died in dreadful and violent circumstances on a Monday morning in a quiet and rural area of mid-Louth is appalling.

"I would appeal for anyone with information to go to the gardaí immediately," said Mr Ó Murchú.

In a statement, gardaí said the man is being held at a station in the northwest of the country.

A spokesman said: "Gardaí continue to investigate all the circumstances of a fatal incident at a residential property in Drumgowna, Tallanstown, Co. Louth, this morning, Monday, September 29.

"Gardaí responded to a call to attend the residential property shortly before 10am this morning. Three people – a male and a female in their 50s and a male in his 20s were found deceased at the scene.

"A male, aged in his 30s, has been arrested and is currently detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

"The scene is currently subject of an ongoing forensic examination by the Garda National Technical Bureau.

"The Offices of the Coroner and the State Pathologist have been notified. The remains of the deceased have been removed from the scene to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where post-mortem examinations will be conducted tomorrow.

"The investigation is being conducted from an incident room at Ardee Garda station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed.

"A Family Liaison Officer has been appointed to support and keep the family of the deceased informed.

"An Garda Síochána appeals to any person with any information on this incident to contact the Garda Investigation Team by calling Drogheda Garda Station at 041 987 4200, the Garda confidential phone number on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station."

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau went to the O’Connor house yesterday and a blue tent was erected in the driveway of the house yesterday afternoon.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.