Police have recovered two bodies from a Shropshire mansion destroyed by a suspicious fire, West Mercia Constabulary said today.
A suspected arson attack ripped through Osbaston House, its stable block and a garage area early on Tuesday and businessman Christopher Foster (50) his wife Jill (49)and their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie have not been seen since.
"We can confirm that two bodies were recovered last night from the main part of Osbaston House, Maesbrook," said Superintendent Gary Higgins, who was unable to provide an identification of the bodies.
"The remains will be examined by a Home Office pathologist and post mortems are due to be carried out later today to establish the cause of death."
Police had only be able to gain access to the site of the gutted house yesterday as falling debris had made it unsafe for officers to enter the mansion. The forensic search is expected to last for possibly several weeks.
"It is going to be a painstaking and lengthy process before the full examination of the house and its surrounds is completed," added Higgins.
"In the meantime, we will keep an open mind concerning what we may, or may not find."
Officers are waiting for the results of post mortems conducted on an unspecified number of horses found at the scene. The corpses of three dogs were also found close by.
Newspaper reports said the horses had been shot.
A large horse box which had been left by the gates of the property has also been removed by police for forensic tests.
Newspapers said Foster's main company Ulva Ltd, which supplied insulation for oil rigs, went into liquidation last year with debts of nearly £1 million.
Nearly 100 officers and support staff are working on the investigation.