Three people arrested in connection with a fatal arson attack on the home of the English family in Waterford city earlier this month have been released without charge.
Philip and Kim English, and their children Callum (12) and Jayden (9), died in the fire.
Two other children – a girl (14) and a boy (6) – were rescued from the house and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
In a statement on Saturday, An Garda Síochána said it continues to “investigate the multiple murder” that occurred in the Birchwood area of Waterford City shortly after 5am on October 13th.
It said a man in his 50s and two women in their 30s, who were arrested on Tuesday, had been released without charge. The force said a file would be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
They had been detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, which allows gardaí to hold suspects for up to seven days before they must be released or charged.
“A fourth person, a male in his 20s arrested on Thursday, remains in Garda custody,” the statement added.
Two others have been charged and have appeared before the courts in connection with the arson attack. Jessica Dalton (31), with an address in Waterford city, and Cian Stacey (21), of no fixed abode, are in custody after being charged with causing criminal damage to the English family’s home at Birchwood Avenue on October 13th.
A Waterford drugs gang is suspected to have ordered the attack. The family’s car was attacked outside their home as far back as August 2023 and a petrol bomb was thrown at the house just last month, though nobody was injured.
Threats had also been made against members of the family on social media.
Gardaí suspect Philip English was being pressured to pay a €20,000 drug debt owed by a man he knew.
Detectives believe the attacks and threats against him and his family represented a campaign of drug-related intimidation to extort that money from Philip English, even though he had no involvement with drugs.