Vanessa Whyte Fermanagh Death – A mother and two children killed in a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide in County Fermanagh have been named by police as Vanessa Whyte, her son James Rutledge and daughter Sara Rutledge.
They died after being shot at a house in Drummeer Road in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday. Vanessa, a veterinary surgeon, was 45, James was 14 and Sara was 13, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said. A man – who is a member of the same household – is being treated for serious gunshot injuries at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
On Wednesday, police said the investigation was at an early stage, but a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of inquiry for detectives. Enniskillen Royal Grammar School said it was mourning “the loss of two vibrant and much valued pupils”. “I know that our school community will hold each other close in this time of loss,” principal Elizabeth Armstrong said in a statement.
The school said the children’s father is “seriously ill” in hospital in Belfast. Police appealed for anyone who had spoken to Ms Whyte or her children in the past few weeks to contact them. “If you are someone that Vanessa, Sara or James may have confided in, please come and speak to us,” Det Ch Insp Neil McGuinness said.
“Any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem could prove crucial to our investigation.”