A prayer service has been held in County Clare for a mother and her two children who died in a shooting incident in County Fermanagh, reports Breaking News.
Vanessa Whyte (45), a veterinary surgeon originally from County Clare, along with her son James (14) and daughter Sara (13), were killed in what is believed to be a case of triple murder and attempted suicide at a home in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday morning.
Ms Whyte was a native of Barefield, a village just outside Ennis in County Clare, reports Breaking News.
Authorities have launched a murder investigation, while a man remains critically injured in hospital.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield will host a prayer service on Sunday evening, reports Breaking News.
The parish website states the event is intended to honour the memory of Vanessa, Sara, and James.
Fr Tom Fitzpatrick, parish priest of Barefield, said the local community wanted to unite in remembrance of the family, reports Breaking News.
The service is scheduled for Sunday evening to ensure Ms Whyte’s brother, Ivor, can return from Australia in time.
“The prayer service was organised by the community, myself and the pastoral council. We planned it days ago,” Fr Fitzpatrick said, reports Breaking News.
“The purpose of the service is to gather as a community and be with the family and let them know we are thinking of them and we are here in shock and in pain. When something happens in a rural community, even to one person, it affects everybody. We are coming here with hearts broken. A lot of the community knew Vanessa and she was so well loved,” reports Breaking News.
It is believed that funeral arrangements for Vanessa and her two children will take place in Barefield later in the week.
On Saturday, detectives from the major investigation team confirmed they are continuing inquiries into the killings and have issued an appeal for information related to the movements of a specific vehicle, reports Breaking News.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness said: “Our investigation is ongoing and we are working tirelessly to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy. I would continue to appeal generally for anyone with information to come forward, and more specifically, I would ask anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, on the evening of Tuesday July 22 to call detectives on 101, quoting reference 276 23/07/25. Anyone who was travelling in the area and who may have captured dashcam footage which could assist, please get in touch,” reports Breaking News.
The PSNI confirmed that the man in hospital with serious injuries was also a member of the same household.
On Friday, a large crowd gathered in Maguiresbridge to take part in a community vigil held in memory of the family, reports Breaking News.
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