Headteacher's tribute to 'bright and bubbly' girl, 6, found dead alongside her father

Hope Gordon, six, was recovered dormant with her begetter successful a spot successful West Calder connected Monday day (Image: PA Media)

The headteacher of Toronto Primary School successful West Lothian has paid a heartfelt tribute to six twelvemonth aged pupil Hope Gordon, who was recovered dormant successful a location alongside her 36-year-old father Mark connected Monday. Fiona Linfoot described Hope arsenic a "bright, bubbly" miss who "brought joyousness to everyone she met" and said she would beryllium profoundly missed by her friends and the school staff.

The police person confirmed that they person recovered nary grounds to suggest anyone other was progressive successful the deaths, which are presently being treated arsenic unexplained. Post-mortem examinations are owed to instrumentality spot this week.

Ms Linfoot said: "Hope was a much-loved subordinate of the Toronto Primary family, and volition beryllium hugely missed by each her friends and schoolhouse staff. She was a bright, bubbly and affectionate miss who brought joyousness to everyone she met. We volition truly miss her infectious grin and benignant heart. We would inquire everyone to respect the privateness of her household and the schoolhouse assemblage astatine this hard time. Help and enactment is disposable to immoderate of our pupils, oregon staff, affected by this tragic news."

Chief Superintendent Gregg Banks said concerns were raised erstwhile Hope failed to be schoolhouse connected Monday, prompting a "concern for" telephone to Police Scotland. 

Police astatine the country aft constabulary recovered the bodies of a 36-year-old begetter and his six-year-old girl astatine a spot successful Harburn Drive (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)

Mr Banks said: "This led our officers to behaviour inquiries to place the child’s whereabouts, and yet resulted successful them attending astatine the spot astatine Harburn Drive successful West Calder. When they were incapable to summation introduction to the property, assistance was provided from colleagues astatine the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to unit entry, and tragically the bodies of an big antheral aged 36, and a young pistillate six years of age, were discovered successful the property."

Mr Banks said determination had been an "element of shared custody" implicit the kid betwixt her parent and father, and that she had been staying with her begetter for a "period of time" erstwhile their bodies were found.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson, of the large probe team, said: "Our thoughts stay with the antheral and girl’s relatives astatine this highly hard clip and they proceed to beryllium supported by specializer officers. They are understandably devastated and it is captious we get answers for them. At this clip we person nary accusation to suggest anyone other is progressive and our inquiries are continuing."

Mr Banks added the probe is inactive astatine a "relatively aboriginal stage", and helium called connected radical to debar "speculation" astir what happened astatine the property.

"The post-mortems person not been conducted yet. I genuinely anticipation people won’t propulsion chaotic speculation retired there. That truly does not enactment the household who are devastated astatine this time. Let’s enactment connected the facts and we volition cognize the post-mortem facts precise quickly."

Detective Superintendent Grant Hendry speaking extracurricular Livingston constabulary presumption (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)

Mr Banks besides appealed for privateness for the family. "As you tin astir apt imagine, anyone losing a household subordinate successful specified circumstances is simply a truly tragic and hard happening to woody with, peculiarly losing a child. The decease of a six twelvemonth aged kid is peculiarly tragic, truthful the household are being supported. But intelligibly my entreaty has been for privateness astatine this time."

He besides thanked section residents for their assistance implicit the past 48 hours, and said helium wanted to "reassure" them that the events look to beryllium "an incidental wrong the discourse of that 1 property", and that determination was nary hazard to the wider community.

Chief Inspector Elaine McArthur-Kerr, section country commander, echoed this, saying: "We recognize the important interaction this volition person connected the section assemblage and I would similar to convey everyone for their assistance truthful far. This incidental is precise upsetting and worrying for the radical surviving successful this assemblage and we would inquire anyone with immoderate concerns to talk to us. A constabulary beingness volition stay successful the country portion we transportation retired investigations and anyone with immoderate concerns, oregon information, tin attack these officers."

Police person appealed to anybody with immoderate accusation that astir the incidental to interaction them.