Three members of same family killed in knife attack in rural Co Louth home

Three members of the same family were violently killed in their home in Co Louth by a man known to them who used a knife, gardaí believe.

The victims were named locally as Mark and Louise O’Connor and their adult son Evan, who had special needs and was cared for by his mother.

The alarm was raised on Monday morning. When gardaí, including the Armed Response Unit (ASU), rushed to the scene just over 5km from Tallanstown village in Co Louth, they found the remains of the victims at the property. They had been subjected to extreme violence.

A suspect, aged in his 30s, was arrested on foot in the area at about 10am, though it was unclear where he had been living of late.

That man, who is the only suspect in the case, had earlier been seen walking the local roads close to the Louth-Monaghan boundary. He had tried to secure a lift to Tallanstown village.

The motive for the three killings was unclear. However, medical attention was sought for the arrested man and Garda sources said an assessment of his mental condition formed part of their inquiries.

The ASU was deployed to support local gardaí as they rushed into the area over fears the suspect was armed and had been seen acting erratically.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he had been briefed by gardaí and was told “they are not looking for anyone else in respect of this criminal act”.

In a statement, Garda Headquarters confirmed three people, two men and a woman, were found dead at the scene, which was sealed off. It added that the offices of the coroner and the State Pathologist had been notified.

“A male, aged in his 30s, has been arrested and is currently detained at a station in the Garda North West Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Investigations are ongoing.”

Gardaí can question the arrested man for up to 24 hours before he must be charged with a crime or released without charge. However, his questioning looked set to be paused for rest and medical attention, meaning the period of detention may not expire until Tuesday evening. .

The O’Connors, who had three adult sons, had celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary on September 12th. Mr O’Connor posted a photograph of himself and his wife on their wedding day on social media, saying they were “still very much in love”. They had finished paying their mortgage in June, a milestone they celebrated.

Mr O’Connor worked for the National Advocacy Service Ireland, which provides advocacy for people with disabilities. Ms O’Connor was very active in a wide number of social causes, including fundraising for mental health services and cancer charities.

The family home, a bungalow on a remote road in rural Co Louth, was sealed off on Monday, with all roads into the location blocked by gardaí. Members of the Garda technical bureau could be seen in white forensic suits gathering evidence at the scene, with the remains of the three victims still in situ.

The remains of Mr and Ms O’Connor and their son Evan, who was autistic, were subject to a preliminary examination at the scene by a pathologist before their removal from the property last night for full postmortem examinations.

While the results of those postmortems were required before the nature of the criminal investigation under way could be formalised, gardaí believe all three suffered stab wounds.