Edenderry, Co Offaly: Gardaí have launched a murder investigation following a “callous, reckless, and murderous” arson attack on a family home in Castleview Park, Edenderry, Co Offaly, which claimed the lives of a four-year-old boy and his grand-aunt over the weekend.
The victims have been identified as four-year-old Tadhg Farrell and his 60-year-old grand-aunt, Mary Holt. The incident occurred on Saturday evening, with sources indicating that a petrol bomb was thrown through the front window of the terraced house sometime before 8 pm.
A third woman, aged in her 50s, was seriously injured in the blaze and is currently receiving treatment at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
Gardaí are actively working to identify the suspects. One line of inquiry is that the attack may have been carried out by an organised criminal gang involved in the local Midlands drugs trade. Crucially, the deceased are understood to have been innocent victims, with the house possibly being targeted in a case of drug debt intimidation. Sources describe the perpetrators as violent and dangerous criminals intent on causing serious harm.
Post-mortem examinations were carried out by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster. The scene in Castleview Park, a long-established housing estate, remains sealed off today as further technical and forensic examinations are being conducted.
The attack has been widely condemned. Independent Ireland councillor Fergus McDonnell described the town as distraught. Minister of Justice Jim O’Callaghan extended his condolences and condemned the act, stating that the attack was “designed to kill the inhabitants” and that such violence “cannot be part of a civilised society.” He assured the public that Gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry and will relentlessly pursue those responsible.
