'Still a huge sense of disbelief' says Mayor of Ennis following death of mother and two children
Vanessa Whyte, 45, a vet originally from Co Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, were killed in a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide at a house in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday morning.
On Sunday, over 100 miles away from Fermanagh, a special prayer service was held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Bearfield in their honour.
Today, Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy revealed they had been planning a holiday to Vanessa's hometown in Co. Clare just this week.
Speaking about the recent service she said: "The silence in that church was extraordinary, you could actually hear a pin drop.
"I never experienced that kind of silence before.
"There still is a huge sense of disbelief, and just really a lot of heartache for the family."Her children would certainly will be remembered here locally from they were due to come down on holidays this week and there's a big family of them there.So Vanessa certainly will not be forgotten and she will not be forgotten by her school friends and the people she grew up with in her community."
Vanessa, 14-year-old James, and 13-year-old Sarah Rutledge loved sports, including GAA and cricket.
On Sunday during the All-Ireland final at Croke Park in Dublin, they were remembered.
Flowers, messages, and a cricket bat have now been placed at the fence of their home in Maguiresbridge.The children's father remains in a serious condition in hospital in Belfast with gunshot wounds.On Saturday, detectives from the major investigation team, who are carrying out the murder investigation, said they are continuing with their inquiries and appealed for information involving the movements of a vehicle.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.'The man who remains in a serious condition in hospital was a member of the same household, the PSNI said.The funeral for all three is expected to take place in County Clare.
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