West Lothian dad's death 'not suspicious' after being found with murdered daughter
The death of a West Lothian dad, whose body was found alongside his six-year-old daughter is 'not being treated as suspicious', Police Scotland have confirmed.
Mark Gordon, 36, was found dead at a property in West Calder, West Lothian, on Monday, January 20. His daughter Hope Gordon was also discovered and a probe was launched into their deaths, reports The Daily Record.
It comes after police said Hope's death was being treated as murder on Thursday. In an update by the force on the investigation on Tuesday evening, they said: "Following a post mortem examination, the death of the 36-year-old man is not being treated as suspicious."
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The discovery of the father and daughter was made on Monday, January 20, in what police believe was a murder-suicide, after officers attended at a property in the town's Harburn Drive.
Concerns were raised when Hope failed to attend Toronto Primary School, leading officers to search the dad's home, where they discovered the bodies.
It's understood Mark shared custody of Hope with her mother, Margaret Cairns, 40, from Livingston. A close family friend, Melanie Wheeldon, who has been supporting Margaret, told our sister title, The Daily Record, there hadn't been anything to suggest the dad was capable of harming his own daughter.
In the latest heartbreaking statement by Hope's family, her auntie Tess said the six-year-old's death would "never be understood or justified".
The relative paid tribute to the "remarkable" schoolgirl on a fundraising page that has been set up for Hope's funeral expenses, raising over £8,000 .
Tess wrote: "The tragedy that fell upon the hearts and souls of Hopes family; (especially her mum) will never be understood or justified. The torment, torture and heartache that we feel, will never be able to be described. Not today, not tomorrow, and not in the future. Not only do we feel empty, but the world feels empty too.
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"Hope was a remarkable, beautiful little girl- with a bright future ahead of her. She was talented with her art skills. She was one of the most intelligent little girls, I had ever known. She was amazing with her English and math, and knew more than me at only 6 years old. She was just learning how to speak French, and was so proud of herself. As was I, and her mum. She had a heart full of love, and didn’t for one second waste that- she was sure to let you know at every giving moment what you meant to her.
"Hope means the absolute world to us, and it goes without saying, that she deserves to have the most beautiful send off. And with the help of family and friends, community and more: we are able to give her that. So I wanted to take this opportunity, to show how grateful we are that everyone has made that happen. Hopes light shines on in all of us, and will never be forgotten, and neither will the kindness of all of your hearts."
Melanie Wheeldon told the Record: "There was nothing that happened in the lead up to this that could have sparked anything in Mark and there were no hints at all that he was a violent man.
"They had shared custody of Hope but if Margaret had any idea that her daughter was in any sort of danger then she would not have been allowed to go there to stay with Mark. Nobody can believe Hope is dead.
"We had no idea Mark was capable of anything like this. I have known Margaret a very long time but have never known her to be so upset, she is really struggling to cope with all of this and is at her lowest point.
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"How do get over your daughter being murdered? Margaret is being as strong as possible but having to see Marks' face plastered all over the news is so upsetting for her.
"She just wants to think of Hope just by her first name now so she doesn't have to associate her with Mark in any way. Margaret and Hope had a really special relationship and she wants to focus on that."
After announcing Hope's death was being treated as murder, Police Scotland urged anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Superintendent Grant Hendry, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “Our thoughts remain with Hope’s family and friends, along with everyone affected by this tragedy.
“The families are understandably devastated and we are providing them with support through specialist officers at this extremely difficult time.
“Our team of officers continue to carry out enquiries to get answers for the families and at this time, we have no information to suggest anyone else is involved.
“I would ask that anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, gets in touch with the police.”
Cops probing the murder have also referred themselves to the police watchdog.