Police in the south of Spain are working on the assumption that the deaths of two Irish women and a British man, whose bodies were found together in their Costa del Sol home, were the result of a murder-suicide.The authorities are not looking for any other suspects in the case.
Identities confirmed
The bodies of Philip Wood (56), his wife Sheila (54) and daughter Sophie (28) were discovered on Wednesday by the landlord of the property they had been renting in Mijas, near Málaga.The three are believed to have been living in the area for more than 15 years. The identities of all three were confirmed yesterday by Irish and British authorities after the families of the deceased were contacted. All of them appeared to have died from gunshot wounds.
The Kenyan-born Mr Wood was a British national, while his wife and daughter held Irish passports, the Guardia Civil said. Ms Wood, who has family in Dublin, had suffered increasing physical incapacity in recent years and her daughter had a serious disability.
Last night, a Guardia Civil spokeswoman said the family were renting the property where they were found dead. “The latest information we have is that the owner of the house had not heard from the family for a few days and had not been paid,” she said.
“He went to the house and when there was no reply at the door, he went inside. Inside he saw the man dead on the sofa and immediately called the Guardia Civil.
"When officers inspected the house they found the wife and the daughter dead in a bedroom. The initial hypothesis at this early stage of the investigation is that this was a murder-suicide."
Suicide note
The spokeswoman said she could not confirm reports that the daughter had Down's Syndrome. Mijas, a small town inland from the Spanish coast, is a popular destination for visitors to Spain as well as foreigners who have settled in the country.
Sources close to the investigation said that a possible suicide note was left at the scene, apparently by Mr Wood. The content of the note has not yet been officially revealed.
