Wicklow Village Rocked by Tragic Deaths

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Wicklow Village Rocked by Tragic Deaths

Sunday, July 22 2007

A small tight-knit community on the border of Wicklow and Carlow was left reeling this week after the discovery of three bodies in a family home in the hamlet of Grangecon.

Gardai are currently investigating the circumstances leading up to the deaths of husband and wife John Joe (85) and Mary (83) Sleator and their son Patrick (43) although it appears to be a murder-suicide case.

The middle-aged man and his elderly parents were well known and well respected family in the picturesque village of Grangecon, among the hills of West Wicklow, just a few miles east of Tullow.

Two rifles were recovered from the scene of what has been described as a tragic incident and Gardai confirmed on Monday there was no sign of criminal involvement and said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

Mary Sleator was a retired teacher who had formerly taught at Rathvilly National School in the 1950s before her marriage to John Joe, while her most recent teaching post had been in Dunlavin National School.

The bodies of the three family members were found downstairs in their home on Monday morning after townsfolk became concerned when the Sleators, who were regular church-goers, initially failed to turn up for mass on Sunday and when John Joe didn't collect his paper as usual at the local shop on Monday the alarm was raised.

Fears were confirmed when a neighbour went to the family's home to investigate and spotted the bodies of the slain through a downstairs window and the Gardai were notified immediately.

The people of nearby Baltinglass, where both John Joe and Mary were keen members of the golf club, were also left shocked by the disturbing incident.

Parish Priest Fr Tommie Dillon, who was one of the first people on the scene once the Gardai had arrived, said the local community had been left numb by news of the tragic deaths of three well-known residents.

Gardai were carrying out ballistic tests this week on the two firearms found at the scene and the bodies were removed for State Pathologist Marie Cassidy to carry out post mortems.

Neighbours described the family as quiet and well respected and they said Mary could often be seen out working in her garden while John Joe, who had recently had a hip operation, was often spied walking with a cane along the road with his sheepdog by his side.

John Joe Sleator was a retired farmer who had leased out his land to local farmers and was a keen golfer and former captain of the Baltinglass Golf Club and he was also a member of his church choir.

Mary Sleator was a minister of the ward and a regular reader at Sunday masses and the pair are survived by two daughters, one living in Limerick and the other in the UK.

Pat Sleator was the middle child and a metal worker and sculptor who lived at home with his parents and worked out of a shed at the back of the family home.

He was out for a drink at his local pub on the Friday night where friends described him as being in good form and a neighbour dropped him home afterwards.

He was last seen alive on Saturday morning which has helped narrow down the possible time the tragedy took place to sometime between Saturday lunch-time and later that evening.

The family have asked for privacy as they come to terms with the shocking incident.

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