Investigators say 'no one else involved' in death of girl, six, and man, 36, at West Calder home

A six-year-old girl and man discovered dead in a home on Monday are father and daughter, police have confirmed.

The alarm was raised after a concerned family member told police that the girl did not attend school.

At around 4pm on Monday, the fire service was called to assist police with gaining access to a home on Harburn Drive in West Calder, West Lothian.

Edinburgh & East

Father and six-year-old daughter found dead in home named

The bodies of Mark Gordon, 36, and his daughter Hope were found within the property.

The bodies of Mark Gordon, 36, and his daughter, Hope, were found within the property. No one else is being looked for in connection with the deaths, detectives said.

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A six-year-old girl and man discovered dead in a home on Monday are father and daughter, police have confirmed. #stvnews #scotland #harburn
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Chief superintendent Gregg Banks said the family was “devastated”.

“That call related to concerns from a family member around a child failing to attend school,” he told STV News.

“This led our officers to conduct enquiries to identify the child’s whereabouts identifying the location on Harburn Drive.”

The deaths are being treated as unexplained, and police said post-mortem examinations will take place this week.

Their relatives have been made aware and are being supported by specialist officers, Police Scotland said.

The force said extensive enquiries are still ongoing to establish the full circumstances. West Lothian council has confirmed that the incident has no connection to the nearby Parkhead Primary School, which remains open.

Chief inspector Elaine McArthur-Kerr, local area commander, previously said: “We understand this incident may be very upsetting and worrying for the people living in this community and would ask anyone with any concerns to speak to us.

“A police presence will remain in the area while we carry out investigations and anyone with any concerns, or information, can approach these officers.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: “We were alerted at 4.05pm on Monday, 21 January, to support emergency service partners on Harburn Drive, West Calder.

“Operations Control mobilised one appliance to the scene and crews gained entry to a dwelling house.

“Crews left the scene at 5.03pm.”