NEWCASTLE-COUNTY-DUBLIN: SUDDEN and UNEXPLAINED DEATHS OF THREE CHILDREN PROBED BY GARDAI

UPDATED

Gardaí do not believe at this stage that three young children whose bodies were found in Co Dublin died of natural causes.
Investigators are awaiting the outcome of post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of what Gardaí described as "sudden" and "unexplained" deaths. 
The bodies were found in a house at Parson's Court in Newcastle village, northwest of Rathcoole, last night.

UPDATE:

Gardaí have named the three children whose bodies were found in a house in Co Dublin last night.

They are brothers and sister Conor McGinley, aged nine, Darragh, aged seven, and Carla, aged three.

Their bodies were found in a house at Parson's Court in Newcastle village, northwest of Rathcoole, last night.

They have been removed to the City Morgue, where a post-mortem examination will take place later today.

Last night, Gardaí were called to the house at about 7.45pm and first found a woman on the street in a disorientated state.

The woman in her 40s, who is believed to be the children's mother, was admitted to Tallaght hospital.

Gardaí then went into the house and found the bodies of three young children. A note was also found at the scene.

Gardaí said they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

The house remains sealed off as a crime scene.

Gardaí last night said they did not believe that they died of natural causes. They said the results of the post-mortem examination will determine the cause of deaths.

The children's father, Andrew McGinley, today released an image of him and his children through the Gardaí.

Gardaí say a family liaison officer has been appointed and is in contact with Mr McGinley and extended family.

A woman in her 40s, who is believed to be the children's mother and may have vital information about the children’s deaths has been admitted to Tallaght hospital.

Garda Crime Scene Officers At The House On Parson's Court, Newcastle, Co-Dublin- 

Where The Bodies Of Three Children Were Discovered.

The house remains sealed off as a crime scene.

Gardaí were called to the house after 7pm last night and first found a woman on the street in a disorientated state. They then went into the house and found the bodies of three young children, two boys and a girl believed to be aged four, eight and ten years old.

A note was also found at the scene.

Gardaí said they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact the incident room at Clondalkin Garda Station on 01-6667600.

ADDITIONAL TEXT: SOURCE: IRISH TIMES:

Gardaí are expected to launch a triple murder investigation after the bodies of three young children were found in a house in Co Dublin last evening.

A woman, believed to be the children’s mother, was being treated in hospital after she was found in a distressed and disorientated state outside the property at Parson’s Court, Newcastle.
Garda sources last night stressed the investigation into the deaths of the children, two boys and a girl aged four, eight and 10 years, was only beginning. However, they had found no evidence so far of anyone else in the house around the time the children died and there were no signs of a break-in at the property.
While the deaths of the three children were being treated by the Garda as “sudden” and “unexplained” the inquiry into their deaths is criminal in nature.

One strong line of investigation was that the children met with foul play, though early indications are they had no obvious injuries on their bodies. Gardaí were hoping to speak to the woman, who is in her 40s, as early as Saturday.

She was being treated at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, and Gardaí believe she has vital information about how the children met their deaths.

When Gardaí and paramedics arrived at the scene just after 7pm the children were pronounced dead inside the house. It was unclear how long they had been dead.

Gardaí believe the children were living with their mother at the property, in a private estate of houses and apartments.

The scene was sealed off by Gardaí and the bodies of the children remained in situ overnight pending the arrival of a pathologist this morning from the State Pathologists Office.

Garda sources said a pathologist would carry out a preliminary examination of the bodies at the scene before their removal from the house for a full post-mortem.

The same sources said all the resources of a homicide investigation had been committed to the case.

As well as a pathologist due to the property early on Saturday morning, the Garda Technical Bureau was also set to examine the property. That examination was expected to continue through the weekend.

Locals described the area as “nice and quiet”.

Austin Cooney who lives on the next road said “I was born and reared here and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s desperate, three small children . . . it’s not pleasant to hear something like this anywhere.”

A woman who did not want to be named said she was “devastated”.

“Devastated is the only word I can think of. The shock of it, three small children.”

UPDATE: SOURCE- IRISH INDEPENDENT:

A note saying “Call 999, don’t go upstairs” was left on the window of a house in which the bodies of three young children were found last night.

The two boys and a girl were found in a house in the Parson’s Court estate in Newcastle, Co Dublin.

Gardaí At The Crime Scene On Parson's Court, Newcastle-Co-Dublin 

Where The Bodies Of Three Children Were Discovered By Gardai

The three children aged 4, 8 and 10 were found dead when emergency services were called shortly after 7pm.

The children’s mother was taken to Tallaght Hospital where she was being treated last night.

It is understood the tragedy was uncovered after a concerned taxi driver picked up the woman who was in a distraught state nearby and brought her home.

There he discovered a note on the window, saying: “Call 999, don’t go upstairs.”

Emergency services and Gardaí went to the house after being alerted.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman outside the house.

The woman, who is in her 40s, was said to have looked dazed and disorientated.

Inside the house, officers found the bodies of the three children.

The cause of the children's deaths was not immediately known, but gardaí said they did not believe they died from natural causes.

A senior source said there was "no sign of trauma" on the bodies of the children.

Gardaí confirmed they were not looking for any other person in relation to the deaths at this time and said there was no sign that the house had been burgled.

A post-mortem will determine the cause of death.

Last night, the area around the home at Parson's Court, a mixed complex of houses and apartments, was sealed off by gardaí pending an examination by technical experts.

Shocked neighbours huddled outside their doorways in the housing estate, stunned by the devastating news.

A neighbour who parks her car directly in front of the house where the bodies were found said she didn't know the family other than to exchange pleasantries.

She told the Irish Independent she came home around 6.45pm and saw a woman slumped over on the road with a taxi parked beside her.

"She looked like she was after collapsing," she said. "I saw that woman there and I thought she was knocked over."

The woman said that shortly after this the woman was taken away by an ambulance.

She said the estate was normally very quiet.

Local resident Austin Cooney (47) anxiously stood outside the large Garda perimeter that cordoned off the housing estate.

Mr Cooney is a coach with local soccer club Peamount United and has three children himself under the age of 10.

He said that, as a parent, the news was simply horrific.

"It's horrible. It's devastating," he added.

Gardaí asked for anybody with information to contact Clondalkin garda station at 01 6667600, where an incident room has been established, or the confidential line on 1800 666111.

Emergency responders are expected to be offered trauma counselling.