Family hit by tragedy are robbed of second daughter
THE sister of a schoolgirl who died suddenly in her sleep has passed away after being diagnosed with the same genetic condition, friends said yesterday.
Taylor Muir, 14, died in hospital in the early hours of yesterday, three years after the death of her 16-year-old sibling Jodie.
At the time of Jodie’s death in 2014, police suspected it was caused by taking an Ecstasy-style tablet at a house party, even issuing a drugs warning to the public in the aftermath of her death.
But her mother, Laura McArthur, said her daughter suffered from an undiagnosed heart defect, a condition she said had also been passed on to Taylor, then aged 11, and which also killed her nephew.
Miss McArthur, 44, did not want to speak yesterday but friends posted tributes to the pair on social media.
A fund-raising page has also been set up to help pay for Taylor’s funeral, raising more than £5,300 in the first eight hours.
A statement on the GoFundMe page reads: ‘Our beautiful angel Taylor Muir passed away in the early hours of this morning.
‘Her heart simply stopped beating and the hospital staff could not bring her back.
‘Taylor was only 14 and had her full life ahead of her. Taylor was not only beautiful inside and out but she was so comical and always made us laugh and smile.
‘Taylor’s older sister Jodie Muir died in her sleep. To lose one child is devastating but to lose two is utterly cruel and heartbreaking.’
Jodie had attended a house party with friends in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, in August 2014.
She returned to the house of her father Phil Muir in the early hours and slept before getting up and speaking to him at 9.30am.
She told him she was going back to sleep – but when he looked in on her again at 11.15am she was dead.
Mr Muir tried to revive his daughter but could not.
Later that day, police issued a statement saying she may have
‘Her heart simply stopped beating’
‘taken some form of Ecstasy-type drug’, later adding that the force had been given the ‘suggestion’ Jodie had taken drugs. A post-mortem examination was inconclusive.
Speaking shortly after Jodie’s death, her mother, a chef from Shettleston, Glasgow, said: ‘Jodie was my world and her death was not drug-related.
‘Jodie never took any drugs. Jodie had a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome and had been unwell.
‘We lived in fear of this happening.’
Police said they had not been informed of the death of Taylor.
Last night Miss McArthur posted a moving tribute on her Facebook page, alongside a picture of her two daughters together.
She wrote: ‘Words can’t describe the hurt and emptiness I feel right now and will forever love and miss both my daughters Jodie and Taylor, my world... my best friends now my angels...’
Taylor’s friends at Eastbank Academy in Shettleston, where the youngster was a pupil, will hold a balloon and lantern memorial on Friday.
Miss McArthur’s message continued: ‘Taylor’s friends have asked to have a balloon and lantern let-off at Eastbank School on Friday at 7pm.
‘Hope everyone can meet and send some love to heaven to my baby Taylor Muir.’
Meanwhile, friends paid tribute on Facebook yesterday.
Monique Mckenna said: ‘Heart goes out to one of my good friends, thinking of you at this heartbreaking time. Fly high my little beautiful angels Jodie & Taylor Muir.’
Millar Duncan posted: ‘Absolutely devastated to hear the heartbreaking news about wee Taylor, thoughts and prayers are with you Laura McArthur and Peter. Jodi and Taylor, together again, xxx gutted.’