'An absolute tragedy': Finglas in shock as gardaí probe deaths of father and six-year-old daughter

Gardaí including forensic investigators at the scene after the bodies of a young girl and her father were found in the Heathfield estate in Cappagh, Finglas. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Gardaí are treating as suspicious the death of a little girl whose body was discovered along with her father’s in their Dublin home.

Locals said that the child’s mother made the terrible discovery when she returned home on Saturday evening.

The deceased child was six years old.

The family was originally from Poland but had lived in the Heathfield estate in Finglas for some time, locals said.

Gardaí alerted on Saturday evening

Gardaí and emergency services were called to the family’s home at approximately 8pm on Saturday.

Although the investigation is still at an early stage, gardaí are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths. There did not appear to be any signs of forced entry at the property.

The bodies were removed from the scene by ambulance on Sunday afternoon.

Eerily empty playground

A playground opposite the house remained eerily empty on Sunday while gardaí searched the surrounding area, looking through gardens, checking under cars and bushes, and opening bins, as forensics teams worked behind the police cordon. 

Local people said the deceased child had been regularly seen in that playground.

Gardaí have been searching the area after the remains of a man and his daughter were found dead in their home in the Heathfield estate in Finglas on Saturday. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

A Garda spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that autopsies “will be arranged in due course”, and the results of these will assist them “in determining the course of the investigation”.

The spokesperson added: “No additional information is available at this time.”

Sinn Féin Dublin North-West TD Dessie Ellis, who is from Finglas, said that the community is in shock.

“Heathfield is facing Cappagh Hospital there. It’s a relatively new estate and the vast majority of people in there are from Finglas.

It’s a lovely estate and people there can’t get over what happened.

Although the estate is no longer within his constituency following the Electoral Commission’s most recent boundary review, he knows many families in the estate and continues to support the local community there.

Dublin North-West Sein Féin TD Dessie Ellis: 'It’s pretty hard to understand how something like this can happen.'

“I was talking to some of the neighbours there,” Mr Ellis said. “People there were all shocked by it.

“It’s totally unexpected. And it’s pretty hard to understand how something like this can happen. People in the area would have known them. They were in the estate there a good while.

“We’ll soon hear what actually happened. At the moment, it looks like it was localised, within the family.

"But, no matter what happened, we have a young child dead and a father, and it’s just so sad.

“It’s an absolute tragedy.”