British police investigating the deaths of three children found in a car near the town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire on Sunday morning, released their names yesterday and confirmed that the man discovered hanged in a nearby copse was their father.
The bodies of Lucy Carter (7), her sister Hollie (3) and their brother Thomas (4) were discovered by a shepherd working on a farm in the Weaver Hills area of Wootton, near Uttoxeter.
Their father, Mr Steven Carter (36), was found hanged by a nylon vehicle towrope from a tree in a copse just 200 metres away.
At a press conference yesterday, the Detective Superintendent leading the investigation, Mr Jeff Virgo, of Staffordshire police, described the deaths of the three children as "an absolute tragedy" and he confirmed police were looking into the possibility of domestic problems between Mr Carter and his 32-year-old wife, Teresa.
As police awaited the outcome of toxicology reports into the possible cause of the three children's deaths, Mr Virgo told the press conference they were "lovely, normal, healthy, happy children I'm sure any parent or family would have been proud or happy with.
"I don't think many people, police or professional, will have to deal with such an incident in their lifetime."
He also confirmed there was some evidence of an attempt to set fire to the inside of the black Ford Capri car in which the children were found but that the fire was not extensive. A spokeswoman for Staffordshire police said the results of the toxicology report would not be known for some days but early indications pointed to evidence that the children had suffered burns due to the fire although it could not be confirmed that this was the cause of their death. A briefcase containing notes, jottings, family photographs and financial documents belonging to Mr Carter was also found in the boot of the car. Speaking about the moment when he discovered the children, the farm worker told the press conference that he was so distressed he had been physically sick. "This was a terrible sight to see and one that I shall never forget for the rest of my life. The two small girls were just huddled up in the back seat of the car and the boy was lifeless in the front," he said. The children's mother is understood to be helping police in the investigation with the assistance of specially trained officers.
However, Mr Virgo admitted that this process was proving difficult in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy because of Mrs Carter's distressed state.
He said the circumstances of the deaths were "very tragic" and Ms Carter was doing all she could to help the police despite the fact that she was completely devastated by what had happened.
The spot at which the bodies were discovered on Sunday is about four miles from the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire and the Carter family lived close to Uttoxeter in the village of Kingstone.
It is understood that Mrs Carter last saw her family on Saturday morning before she left home to go to work at a dry cleaning shop in Stafford.
She discovered that her husband and children were missing when she returned to the house on Sunday morning at about the same time their bodies were discovered.
As news of the tragedy spread across Staffordshire yesterday, residents in the nearby hamlet of The Blythe, declared they were stunned by the deaths and described Mr Carter as a "dedicated father".
The landlord of the local pub, Mr Barry Edwards remembered Mr Carter as an "extremely caring father and would sit and watch his kids play on the swings in the pub garden. He would buy them orange juice but never allow them to have fizzy pop".
Another resident, Mr Jonathan Rigby, said the events had left everyone devastated: "The children were very friendly little things and I can't believe they're gone."
It is the children's mother, who last saw her family on Saturday morning before leaving for work, who is now left to pick up the pieces. The briefcase with notes, jottings, family photographs and financial documents belonging to Mr Carter which was found in the boot of the family car, may fill in the some of the gaps in the story, but at this moment the tragic circumstances leading up to the deaths of the Carter children and their father can only be imagined.