Police issue fresh appeal for information

Police investigating the murder of a mother and her two children in County Fermanagh have issued an appeal for information involving the movements of a silver Mercedes car.

Vanessa Whyte, 45, her 13-year-old daughter Sara Rutledge and her 14-year-old son James Rutledge died after they were shot at their home in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday.

Det Ch Insp Neil McGuinness said police wanted anyone who saw a car matching the description in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler on Tuesday evening to contact them.

“Anyone who was travelling in the area and who may have captured dash-cam footage which could assist, please get in touch,” he said.

“Our investigation is ongoing and we are working tirelessly to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” he said.

Det Ch Insp McGuinness also asked the public if they had any information that may be of use to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to come forward.

The shooting happened in a rural area about 75 miles (121km) west of Belfast and about eight miles from the county’s largest town, Enniskillen.

Two of the victims were declared dead at the scene on Wednesday morning and a third died later in hospital.

A man – who is a member of the same household – is being treated for serious gunshot injuries at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Police said no arrests had been made and it was not anticipated that any would be made.

They added that the investigation was at an early stage, but a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of inquiry for detectives.