A dad is suspected of killing his young daughter before taking his own life in a devastating murder-suicide.
The bodies of 36-year-old Mark Gordon and his daughter Hope, 6, were found within their West Lothian home shortly after 4pm on Monday. The alarm was raised after Hope failed to turn up to class at Toronto Primary School in Livingston.
Her headteacher, Fiona Linfoot, described her a “bright, bubbly and affectionate” girl in an email to parents. She wrote: “It is with deep sadness that I must inform you about the tragic loss of Primary 2 pupil Hope Gordon.
“Hope was a much-loved member of the Toronto Primary family, and will be hugely missed by all her friends and school staff. She was a bright, bubbly and affectionate girl who brought joy to everyone she met. We will really miss her infectious smile and kind heart. Support and help is available for any pupil affected by this tragic news”
Fire crews were called to break down the door of the property on Harburn Road in West Calder on Monday. The area remained taped off on Wednesday with a forensic tent erected in the garden of the home.
A single floral tribute left at the scene read: ‘Fly high little angel’. Police said there will continue to be a significant police presence in the area while the investigation is ongoing. Officers are currently treating their deaths as “unexplained” with post-mortems to be carried out in due course.
A media briefing was held by police at Livingston Station yesterday, where officers confirmed Mark and Hope were know to a number of support services. In a clip posted online on January 5, Mark urged people to “be kind” as he went for a walk in the snow. The dad, originally from Oban, was a sous chef at the Mercure hotel in Livingston.
Officers said Mark and Hope’s families have been left devastated by their deaths. Hope’s mother, Margaret Cairns, was too upset to speak when contacted by the Record.
Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson, of the Major Investigation Team said: “Our thoughts remain with their relatives at this extremely difficult time and they continue to be supported by specialist officers.
“They are understandably devastated and it is vital we get answers for them. At this time, we have no information to suggest anyone else is involved and our enquiries are continuing. I would ask that anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, gets in touch with officers.”
Neighbours in West Calder told of their shock at the news. One local, who asked not to be named, said she witnessed firefighters desperately try to gain access to the house via the back door before the area was swarmed with police.
She said: “I saw firefighters trying to get in through the back door yesterday about 4pm. I didn’t want to be nosey so I turned and went into another room. Within the next 30 minutes, police were everywhere. It was a worrying sight, we knew straight away something really awful had happened.
“The wee girl was a lovely wee thing, she was very young. I didn’t know them personally but we’d see them in passing. You’d never expect this to happen a stone-throw away from your front door.”
Other residents said the man and girl had only recently moved to the area. One man said: “They had moved in quite recently. The house was dark and the curtains were closed most of the time. I think they wanted to keep themselves to themselves. It’s tragic to hear about what happened, especially seeing as it has involved a child so young.”
Another added: “The family hadn’t lived here for very long. It’s awful to hear about something like this happening in your community. The death of a child so young is just awful.”
Chief Inspector Elaine McArthur-Kerr, local area commander, said: “We understand the significant impact this will have on the local community and I would like to thank everyone for their help so far. This incident is very upsetting and worrying for the people living in this community and would ask anyone with any concerns to speak to us. A police presence will remain in the area while we carry out investigations and anyone with any concerns, or information, can approach these officers.”
A spokesperson for West Lothian Council’s Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We would offer our deepest condolences to the family. We cannot discuss any individual or individual family circumstance. It would also not be appropriate to comment further whilst an active police investigation is underway.”
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