Mijas: Irish-British family die in apparent murder-suicide

House where bodies
were found

MIJAS Three members of a family have been found dead in a Spanish apartment in an apparent murder-suicide believed to be linked to the daughter's disability. It is understood that a note left at the home on the Costa Del Sol, where the bodies of the man, a mother and her daughter were found, said the daughter's disability had become too much and had pushed them to the edge. It is thought the note was written by the man, who is believed to be British. The mother and daughter have been confirmed as Irish. The trio were found inside the apartment in Mijas, Fuengirola, on Wednesday by their landlord. Police said they were working on the theory that the deaths were a murder-suicide. It is thought the three died from gunshot wounds inflicted by one of the adults. The man and woman, a couple in their 50s, and their daughter, in her late 20s, were understood to have been long-term residents of the area.>>>

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin confirmed the woman and their daughter were Irish passport holders. Officials are attempting to contact their next of kin. The Foreign Office in London said it was "liaising closely" with the local police and was ready to provide consular assistance.

Speaking on Wednesday evening after the bodies were found, 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 today 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."

The spokeswoman said she could not confirm reports that the daughter had Down's Syndrome.