'No sign of trauma' as elderly couple found dead in Donegal house

The man was in his 80s and his wife was in her 70s and have been named locally as Patrick and Mary Doherty. The couple were very well-known in the area.

The couple were discovered in a bedroom in the house, and are believed to have died from natural causes.

The house was sealed off and a full forensic investigation was carried out by gardaí. Donegal county coroner Dr Denis McCauley also attended the scene.

The bodies were removed from the house and post mortems are due to take place at Letterkenny University Hospital. The course of the garda investigation will be determined by the findings of the post mortems.

A Garda source said that there was no sign of trauma to the couple and there were also no signs of a break-in to the white-washed terraced home on the outskirts of the village.

"We obviously have to examine every possible cause of death but at this stage it does not appear as if there was a break-in or that there was any sign of trauma.

"The results of the post mortems will determine what direction any future investigation will take," said the Garda source.

Local county councillor Liam Doherty is a relative of the late couple.

He said it appeared the deaths were simply a tragic accident.

"I have spoken to Gardai and they do not believe there was a break-in or any form of gas poisoning or anything like that.

"I'm satisfied that the Gardai have done a very thorough job in trying to find out what exactly happened.

"It's just one of those tragic situations and it's very difficult for the family at this time," he said.

Cllr Doherty said it would now appear that the couple may have suffered falls in the bedroom of their home.

"It appeared that the wife fell first and then he fell after he rin the middle of the night when he went to check on her. It's just very sad," he added.

Both bodies have now been removed to Letterkenny University Hospital where post mortems will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.