‘Bodies of son and mum consistent with murder and suicide’
Seven-year-old and mother found inside house
THE discovery of the bodies of a 37-year-old woman and her sevenyear-old son in South Ruislip on Wednesday December 14 are consistent with a murder and a suicide, police say.
Officers were called to The Fairway, near South Ruislip station, at around 10.50am when they found the bodies, believed to be Sinead Higgins and her son Oisin O’Driscoll.
Post-mortem examinations were held at Uxbridge Mortuary on Friday December 16, but were unable to determine the cause of death, and police say they are waiting for further toxicology tests. However, following the examinations, detectives say they are satisfied that the deaths are ‘consistent with a murder and a suicide’.
A neighbour of the mother and son found dead in South Ruislip said it is a ‘shocking’ incident and that she had not seen anything like it.
The Metropolitan Police were called to the scene after concerns were raised for welfare of the people in the house.
The neighbour, who lives in The Fairway and asked not to be named, said: “It’s very shocking.
“There’s never trouble here. I’ve been living here for 30 years.
“This is the first time anything like this has happened.”
On Thursday afternoon, a man and a woman left flowers on the doorstep of the house with a message that read: “My best friend. I’ll miss you.”
Forensic teams and the London Ambulance Service were spotted at the house on December 14 and detectives from the Metropolitan Police questioned neighbours in the evening.
The neighbour added: “At about 11am one police car came. I thought it might be a burglary, then lots more police cars came.
“My grandson said he saw the forensic people when he came home from school.”
The next of kin have been informed of the deaths and police say the causes are being treated as unexplained.
Detective Inspector Dave Bolton, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “The investigation is at a very early stage, but enquiries so far lead us to believe there is a likelihood that the tragic events that led to the deaths do not involve a third party.”