Police launched a murder investigation after three people were found dead at a house on the Cullybackey Road in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, at 09:00 BST on Monday. Forensic examinations were continuing there on Tuesday morning, and police said the public was not believed to be at risk.
The dead were believed to be a man and two females from the same family. Police also said they were not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths, while post-mortem examinations were to be carried out.
Kelly Bonner in Ballymena
News NI's Kelly Bonner said on Tuesday morning that Police Service Of Northern Ireland investigates two overnight arson attacks appeared in the same news cycle, but at the Cullybackey Road scene the cordon was still in place. She said, "The police cordon is still in place on the Cullybackey Road" and, "Forensics are continuing their work at the house."
Bonner described the road as a quiet, rural area and said, "For neighbours and people living in this community, they are still trying to come to terms with what has happened." That scene matched the account from police, who kept their investigation focused on the house while the cordon remained in place.
Jim Allister on the area
Jim Allister, the MP for the area and a Traditional Unionist Voice politician, said it was an area "where people have lived as families for many, many years". He added, "So you can imagine the shock when something so alien as this happens in their very midst," and called for patience while police worked through the case.
Allister also said, "One of the things that's easily overlooked in this - we should think very much of the first responders who had to face this gruesome situation and the forensic officers and the police officers trying to deal with this." He added, "That can't be easy, sometimes we take their work for granted."
Questions around Cullybackey Road
Jon Burrows said, "The more information the police can get out the better, because there is a community in shock," while Philip McGuigan said speculation about what had happened was not helpful. A separate report on Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service handled 303 calls on Eleventh night News Ni showed how quickly emergency services can be stretched, but here police said they were dealing with one house and one set of deaths.
The immediate next step is the post-mortem process, which will test whether the deaths can be tied to a clear cause. Until that happens, the investigation sits in a narrow lane: police have opened a murder investigation, but they have not said they are looking for anyone else.
