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Post-mortem results to determine whether a mother and her two children were killed at their home in South Dublin are not expected until Friday, as examinations have yet to be completed.
Locum’s assistant state pathologist, Dr. Heidi Okkers, began on Thursday, but had not completed them, autopsies on the remains of Seema Banu (37) and her 11-year-old daughter Asfira Riza and her 6-year-old son Faizan Syed .
Garda sources said detectives believed the two children were murdered, but as the scene where their mother’s remains were found was more complex, the results of an autopsy on her remains were required before it could be established whether it was murdered.
Detectives believe the two children were strangled and their remains were found in a bedroom of the home. A ligature was found with the remains of his mother, who was found dead in another bedroom.
The bodies of the mother and two children were removed from their home in Llywellen Court, Ballinteer, just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, although autopsies did not begin until early Thursday morning.
While the results of all three exams were expected to be obtained on Thursday, Garda headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, confirmed that those exams will not be completed until Friday.
The deaths were officially treated as “unexplained”, although all resources of a triple murder investigation have been committed to the case.
The remains of the children and their mother are believed to have remained undiscovered in the home for several days, with a faucet running in the semi-detached house that flooded the property.
The bodies were discovered by Gardaí shortly after noon Wednesday and Gardaí suspects that the mother and two children died over the holiday weekend.
Ms. Banu had been the victim of a serious assault earlier this year, which left her with a series of injuries. A suspect in that attack had been charged with assault causing harm and was due to go to trial early next year.
Confirming that autopsies would not be completed until Friday, Garda headquarters urged anyone with information on the deaths of Ms Banu and her children to come forward and assist in the investigation.
“Investigating Gardaí continues to appeal to the public not to circulate speculation on social media, which is misinformed and does not help the criminal investigation,” said a Garda spokesman, adding that no further information was available at this time.
Ms. Banu’s husband, and father of the two children, has been in contact with the Gardaí based at the Dundrum Garda station, where the investigation is based.
No arrests have been made to date and Gardaí said autopsy results were crucial before the direction of the investigation could be determined.
Ms Banu was originally from India but had lived in Ireland for several years. She had only moved home to Ballinteer in recent months and the children were relatively new to Ballinteer Educate Together National School, where Faizan Syed was in first class and Asfira Riza in sixth class.
The school’s principal, Orlaith Curran, said that everyone who knew them would “really miss” the children.
He explained that the school had implemented its “critical incident management plan.” Psychologists from the National Educational Psychology Service had been on Thursday “supporting and advising our school staff in preparation for the return of our students from midterm recess.”
Educate Together’s national office said it learned of the children’s deaths “with great shock and sadness,” adding that it was a “terrible tragedy.”
“Words fail to express the shock and deep sadness that many feel when thinking of the children and families affected. Our hearts go out to the family, friends and classmates of the bereaved, ”he said.
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