Mother 'killed sons, then hanged herself'

Detectives were today investigating the death of a mother who apparently hanged herself after killing her two young children in their bedrooms.

The bodies of 35-year-old French national Mrs Laurence Gregory and her two children, seven-year-old Arnaud and Antoine, 18 months, were found by husband Mark when he returned home at 8pm on Saturday night.

Tonight a single bouquet of flowers lay on the doorstep of the semi-detached house in Beech Road, St Austell, Cornwall, where neighbours were stunned by the tragedy.

Mrs Gregory was said to be a lecturer in French at nearby St Austell College.

Following post-mortem examinations today, Det Chief Insp Dave Dunne said the two boys ‘‘died as a result of asphyxiation, and then it would appear Mrs Gregory most probably died by hanging in the garage’’.

Mr Gregory, understood to be in his late 30s, was ‘‘devastated’’, police said.

‘‘The husband arrives home to be confronted with this terribly difficult scene to comprehend, and he is obviously devastated by what he has found there,’’ said Mr Dunne.

‘‘This is his whole family wiped out,’’ he added.

Police inquiries would continue to try to ascertain what happened at the house last night to make Mrs Gregory ‘‘go down such a road as it would appear she has done’’.

Asked if he had any indication what might lie behind the tragedy, Mr Dunne said: ‘‘None at all.’’

Earlier today, the police said they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.

Mr Gregory was staying with friends, and the family of Mrs Gregory had been contacted in the early hours of today.

Neighbours Tony and Margaret Greathead said they heard the news with ‘‘disbelief’’.

Mr Greathead said just a couple of days ago Arnaud had put a handwritten thank-you letter through his letter box after being given Christmas presents.

‘‘They were a very together family,’’ said Mr Greathead, adding he used to meet the children, their mother and her husband Mark when they all went to the local park.

‘‘Arnaud liked our border collies Jem and Sky. We are very sad. They were a lovely, normal family who did things together,’’ he said.

Another neighbour, Kathryn Martin, said she shared a school run with Mrs Gregory, who drove her son Lee to the local Mount Church primary school on Friday.

‘‘I knew them quite well through the children,’’ said Mrs Martin, adding that they had shared the same childminder since her son was three months old.

‘‘They were a quiet family who kept themselves to themselves and did things together,’’ she said.