Vigil to be held for three family members found dead in house in Ballymena

A vigil is to be held Wednesday evening in Ballymena for the three victims of what authorities are treating as a triple homicide and suicide. Police launched a homicide investigation after a 41‑year‑old man, a 39‑year‑old woman and an eight‑year‑old girl were found dead at a residence on Cullybackey Road at 09:00 BST on Monday. The woman was identified as the girl’s mother. The family had originally come from Poland, although the child was born in Northern Ireland. The vigil will take place at the Braid Arts Centre beginning at 18:30 BST. Earlier Wednesday morning, prayers were offered for the family at All Saints Catholic Church. Jerome Mullen, the honorary consul of Poland in Northern Ireland, said he had “never experienced such a tragedy in his 18 years in the job.” PSNI Superintendent William Calderwood described the scene confronting emergency services as a “shocking scene.” At a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Calderwood said investigators were keeping an open mind but were pursuing a “strong hypothesis” of a “double homicide followed by a sudden death.” He added that he expressed his “deepest sympathies to family members, friends and loved ones for their ‘unimaginable loss.’” Police have not formally established the cause of death and are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident. Jim Allister, MP for the area and a member of the Traditional Unionist Voice, remarked that the death of an eight‑year‑old girl added an “extra magnitude of horror.” He said, “My heart goes out to the relatives in the Ballymena area and to those in Poland. I am also mindful of the school friends of the child and the distress they will suffer.” Justice Minister Naomi Long conveyed her “heartfelt sympathy to family members affected by the deaths.”