The sole suspect in the suspected triple murder of a mother and her two teenage children in Co Fermanagh has died in hospital, police have confirmed.
Ian Rutledge (43), was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast last Wednesday following the fatal shootings at Maguiresbridge.
Vanessa Whyte (45), originally from Co Clare, her son James (14) and daughter Sara (13) died in the same incident at the family home.
Mr Rutledge was married to Ms Whyte and was the father of her two children.
READ MORE
In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed he died in hospital on Monday evening.
Sources said he was brain dead since the shooting and was in a critical care unit.
The Irish Times understands Mr Rutledge had a health condition that could lead to sight loss.
He had given up his job as a lorry driver due to his deteriorating sight and was working as an agricultural contractor.
Detectives renewed their appeal for anyone with information, “no matter how insignificant it may seem”, to come forward.
Ms Whyte and one of the children were pronounced dead by the emergency services when they arrived at the property on Drummeer Road near Maguiresbridge last Wednesday morning. The third victim died later in the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen.
More than 500 people attended a vigil in Barefield, Co Clare in memory of Ms Whyte and her children on Sunday.
Their funerals are expected to take place in Co Clare.
Ms Whyte was a vet at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera). The North’s chief veterinary officer, Brian Dooher, said she was a “highly respected member of the Daera veterinary services and animal health group, a devoted mother and an active member of her local community”.
James and Sara were students Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, which described them as “vibrant and much valued”.
Maguiresbridge Primary School, which the siblings had previously attended, also held a vigil for them and their mother on Friday.
The family were members of St Mary’s Maguiresbridge GFC and St Patrick’s Lisbellaw hurling club, which said all three “will be desperately missed”.
Parish priest in Barefield, Fr Tom Fitzpatrick, told those gathered on Sunday that Ms Whyte’s mother Mary and siblings Stephen, Ivor, Geraldine, Regina and Anita decided it would be difficult to attend the Mass, so were watching from home via an online stream.
“Let us remember Vanessa not just by the way she died, but by the life she lived, her smile, her strength, her incredible powerful love for her children,” Fr Fitzpatrick said.
“We remember James and Sara, not just as victims of violence, but as children who played and who laughed and had their favourite stories, of course favourite foods I’m sure as well, and great dreams,” he said.
At the weekend, detectives from the PSNI’s major investigation team, who are carrying out the murder inquiry, appealed for information about the movements of a vehicle.
Det Chief Insp Neil McGuinness asked anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, on Tuesday evening to come forward.
“Our investigation is ongoing and we are working tirelessly to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” he said.
