- . Margaret and Nicola McDonough found with stab wounds by horrified guests at Premier Inn in Greenock, Glasgow
- . Rushed to Inverclyde Royal hospital but Margaret, 52, could not be saved
- . Nicola, 23, in critical condition after being found slumped in the hotel hallway
- . Detectives are keeping a vigil at her bedside waiting for information
- . Police treating death as 'unexplained' but not looking for third party
- . Focus is on pair's movements before they were found at 7am yesterday
A mother-of-five and former Lib Dem politician has been stabbed to death and her daughter is fighting for her life after an horrific hotel attack.
Margaret McDonough, 52, and Nicola McDonough, 23, were both found suffering from knife wounds at a Premier Inn hotel in Greenock, Renfrewshire, yesterday morning.
Guests raised the alarm after finding Nicola, who graduated from university with a degree in social work last month, slumped unconscious in a corridor.
Detectives are pursuing several lines of inquiry, which include trying to establish if the women inflicted the wounds on themselves or on each other.
Mother and daughter: Nicola McDonough, 23, is fighting for life, left, while Margaret, right, was stabbed to death
Mystery: Detectives are waiting at the bedside of Nicola, left, to see if she can shed light on what happened to her and mother Margaret, right
Both women, from Paisley, were rushed to Greenock's Inverclyde Royal Hospital but doctors were unable to save Margaret.
They managed to stabilise her daughter, but her life was still in the balance last night.
Detectives are unable to say whether or not the two women had been the victims of an attack and are treating the incident as 'unexplained'.
They are not looking for any third party currently, but are focusing on the pair's movements before they were found.
Miss McDonough remains in a critical condition and detectives are waiting at her bedside to interview her.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARGARET AND NICOLA? TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Thursday 9am - Several sightings of Nicola and Margaret in the Paisley area where they live
10am - Last sighting of pair in red Suzuki Swift registration SL56 CB
3.50pm - Margaret and Nicola check into a double room at Premier Inn 25 miles away from their home in Greenock. Left a short time later
Friday 12.30am - 1am - The pair returned to the hotel
7am - Guests found Nicola slumped unconscious in the hallway outside hotel room. Margaret discovered inside. Both have stab wounds
Afternoon - Margaret dies from her injuries. Nicola remains in intensive care in a critical condition
A spokesman indicated that the family are not known to police.
Mrs McDonough worked as a council foster carer and twice stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrat party.
In a leaflet handed out to voters she told how she 'sees first hand the needs of very vulnerable children in her care and their families, and would like to be able to take some of that knowledge into the decision-making processes of the council.'
Nicola graduated from the University of the West of Scotland with a BA (Hons) in social work in April. She is a former pupil of Paisley’s St Andrew’s Academy.
The first indication of the horror came at 7am yesterday when hotel guests found the younger woman slumped unconscious in the corridor outside her room.
Both women were taken by ambulance to Greenock’s Inverclyde Royal Hospital, where doctors fought in vain to save Margaret, who died yesterday afternoon.
Family members have been informed, and a relative told police that they were in a state of shock and ‘utterly baffled’ by the horrific incident.
Eileen McCartin, a friend of Margaret McDonough and fellow Lib Dem party member, said she had 'no idea what has happened.'
She said: 'My sympathies go out to all her family, and to Nicola especially, in the hope that she will recover from this terrible tragedy.
Police at the Premier Inn where the two women were discovered
Investigating: Detectives combed the hotel for eight hours for evidence but at this stage are treating the incident as 'unexplained'
'I have known Margaret for many years. She was a strong woman, very committed to all she did, both personally and within politics, and her death is a tragic loss to us all.
'She was a longstanding member of our local Liberal Democrats, and stood twice for us in the local elections. She also gave me great support by helping to regularly distribute local Focus leaflets to the community.
'She was a kind and generous woman, and a loving mum to all her children and foster children
'I will miss her greatly.'
Yesterday, police and crime scene investigators spent eight hours searching the waterfront Premier Inn for clues.
The hotel was cordoned off and guests were questioned as they arrived and left. The mother and daughter had apparently booked a single night stay at the Premier Inn.
They are believed to have arrived there on Thursday in a red Suzuki Swift, which was left in the hotel car park.
It was taken away yesterday for forensic examination.
Detective Inspector David Wagstaff, from Police Scotland, appealed for help in tracing the pair's movements in the hours before they were found.
'There have been several sightings of Margaret in the Paisley area on Thursday morning until about 10am,' he said.
'She and Nicola were also seen within a red coloured Suzuki Swift car, registration number SL56 CBF that day. I'd like to speak to anyone who may have seen this vehicle or anyone who may have seen Margaret or Nicola since 9am on Thursday.
'We also know that Margaret and Nicola checked into the Premier Inn at James Watt Way, Greenock at around 3.50pm on the Thursday. After checking in I know that they left the hotel a short time later and possibly returned between 12.30am and 1am.
'I'd like to speak with anyone who saw them or their vehicle between 9am on the Thursday and 7am on the Friday morning.'
A spokesman for the Premier Inn hotel said staff are helping police with their inquiries.
Police are also appealing for any witnesses to report sightings of the women and their vehicle.
The mother and daughter had apparently booked a single night stay at the Premier Inn
Chief Superintendent Alan Speir, who is leading the inquiry, said: ‘This is a tragic set of circumstances.
‘We are appealing for information after the two women were found with serious injuries at the Premier Inn hotel in Greenock.
‘The alarm was raised at 7am after a guest found one of the women in the hallway. Both women had significant injuries.
‘A 52-year-old woman and a 23- year-old woman were taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital. The 52- year-old woman died this afternoon and the 23-year-old is still in a critical condition.
‘We are appealing for witnesses who saw them between 9am the previous day (Thursday) and 7am (Friday).
The pair are believed to have arrived at the hotel in Greenock on Thursday in a red Suzuki Swift, which was left in the hotel car park
‘They are both from Paisley and we think they came from the town during the day and were in the Greenock area.’
Mr Speir was last night unable to say if the women had been the victims of an attack.
He said: ‘We cannot establish at this stage whether there are suspicious circumstances. We are treating it as unexplained.
‘There was no one else in their company and we are still trying to piece together what has happened.’
- Anyone who can assist Police Scotland should call 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.
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