TWO teenage sweethearts were fund dead yesterday in a car which was discovered in an isolated country lane in Co Galway. It, is thought the pair were overcome by fumes and suffocated.
Villagers in Williamstown and, Creggs united in grief last night following the discovery of the bodies in an old Ford Escort which was found parked at a narrow road way early yesterday morning.
The car, which belonged to a friend of the couple, was found by local man at 9.30 a.m. The bodies of 19 year old Mr Thomas Fleming, of Gortnadieve, Creggs, and his 17 year old girlfriend, Ms Margaret Mitchell, of Carrowneeney, Williamstown, were slumped inside.
It is believed that carbon monoxaide fumes from the car's exhaust system leaked inside and suffocated the couple. A spokesman for Tuam gardai said that they could not comment on the cause of the deaths until the results of postmortems were released but they believed the deaths had been accidental.
The bodies were taken to University College Hospital where post mortems were carried out last night.
The couple had been going out for some time. It is believed that Ms Mitchell left her home to meet Mr Fleming at Carrowneeney where she lived with her parents, Bernard and Maureen, and her nine year old sister, Teresa.
Her parents only discovered she was missing when they were told of the discovery yesterday morning.
The dead couple were found by Mr Martin Higgins from Kilmore. He had been going to his parents home at 9.30 a.m. when he saw the parked car. Its engine was still running and the back of the car was very near the ground.
"This meant that the fumes were going straight back up under the car. I came back and saw Thomas and Margaret inside. I knew immediately something was wrong. I thumped on the roof but they didn't move," he said.
He opened the car and discovered the heater was left on.
He called the gardai immediately. The couple were later pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.
Mr Higgins, an agricultural contractor, said that Mr Fleming had worked for him for two years and was a model employee.
"He hadn't a lazy limb in his body and he was great with the kids who loved him. It's a terrible tragedy," he said.
Mr Fleming, the second of 13 children, lived at home with his parents, Michael and Mary. He was employed as a driver at Gannon Plant Hire, Keelogues, while Ms Mitchell was a Leaving Cert pupil at Colaiste Sheosaimh, Glenamaddy.
The school principal, Mr Seamus Walsh, said pupils and staff were devastated by the news. He paid tribute to Ms Mitchell.
"She was a lovely girl, very quiet and very popular." It had been the most difficult day in his 29 years in teaching, he said.
Mr Mattie McDonagh, headmaster of Creggs National School which Mr Fleming had attended, said that Mr Michael Fleming came to the school yesterday morning to collect his children and to inform them of the death of their brother. Seven members of the Fleming family are pupils at the school.
"Thomas was a great lad, very likable and outgoing," said Mr McDonagh.
"The Flemings are the nicest children you could meet and people were in tears when they heard the news. The whole school prayed for Thomas and Margaret and their families today," he said.
The car in which the couple died was removed from the scene and brought to Tuam Garda station for forensic tests.