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House in Spain where Irish mother and daughter died
The house in Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol where three people – including a mother and daughter – were found dead. Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images
The house in Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol where three people – including a mother and daughter – were found dead. Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

Mother and daughter found dead in flat in Spain were Irish

This article is more than 10 years old
Body of man believed to be British also found at property on Costa del Sol after suspected murder-suicide

A mother and daughter found dead in a Spanish apartment were Irish, authorities have confirmed.

The body of a man, who is believed to be British, was also found at the property on the Costa Del Sol.

It is understood their deaths may be linked to the daughter's disability. It is believed a note left at their home said the daughter's disability had become too much and had pushed them to the edge.

It is thought the note was written by the man.

Police said they were working on the theory that the deaths were a murder-suicide. It is thought the three died from gunshot wounds inflicted by one of the adults. The trio were found inside the apartment in Mijas, Fuengirola, by their landlord.

The man and woman, a couple in their 50s, and their daughter, in her late 20s, were understood to have been long-term residents of the area.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin confirmed the woman and their daughter were Irish passport holders. Officials are attempting to contact their next of kin.

The Foreign Office in London said it was "liaising closely" with local police and was ready to provide consular assistance.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the tragic incident involving the death of three family members in Spain."

A Guardia Civil spokeswoman said the family were renting the property where they were found dead.

The apartment is on the mountainside away from the centre of the town.

"The latest information we have is that the owner of the house had not heard from the family for a few days and had not been paid," she said.

"He went to the house today and when there was no reply at the door, he went inside. Inside he saw the man dead on the sofa and immediately called the Guardia Civil.

"When officers inspected the house they found the wife and the daughter dead in a bedroom. The initial hypothesis at this early stage of the investigation is that this was a murder-suicide."

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