Post-mortems to be carried out on the bodies of a father and son found dead in their Co Donegal home will determine the course of a Garda investigation into their deaths.
Gardaí are treating the deaths of the men at a house in Windyhall, Letterkenny as a murder-suicide and no one else is being sought in connection with the incident.
It is believed that the 50-year-old son killed his 88-year-old father, however, the causes of death are still unclear.
The son has been named locally as Damien Duffy and the father as Daniel Duffy.
The older man was discovered in the house and his son was discovered in a car in an adjacent shed.
'Gentlemen'
The mayor of Letterkenny on Friday morning described the deaths as “an awful tragedy”.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh told Newstalk Breakfast that the community was completely shocked and saddened by the deaths so close to Christmas.
Both of the men were gentlemen, who were well liked and respected and “got on with everyone,” he said.
Both had worked with the ESB at different stages and the son had gone back to education and was studying for a masters degree, he said.
“Something went tragically wrong.”
Cllr Kavanagh said he could only imagine the grief and despair of the rest of the family. “All we can do now as a community is to reach out and make ourselves available to help people come through this awful tragedy.”
Garda investigation
Gardaí said on Friday they are continuing to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the bodies on Thursday.
The discovery at the house in the Windyhall Road/Long Lane area was made on Thursday afternoon by a member of the public who alerted gardaí.
It is understood the widowed older man had not been seen out and about for around a week.
Both bodies have now been removed from the scene to Letterkenny University Hospital, where post-mortems are due to take place this morning by State pathologist SallyAnne Collis.
“The results of the post-mortem will determine the course of the investigation,” a Garda statement said.
The scene remains preserved at this time and the Garda technical bureau continues to examine it.
Gardaí in Letterkenny are appealing to anyone who may have any information in relation to the incident to contact them at Letterkenny Garda station on 074 916 7100, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or at any Garda station.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.
