Detectives wait to question graduate, 23, over horrific stabbing of her mother in Premier Inn hotel mystery

Detectives were tonight still waiting to question a critically-ill woman over the death of her mother in a mysterious hotel-room tragedy.
Margaret McDonough, 52, died in hospital after being found with serious knife wounds in a room at a Premier Inn early on Friday morning.
Her daughter Nicola, 23, was found lying in the corridor outside the room also severely injured.

Mother and daughter: Nicola McDonough, 23, is fighting for her life, left, while Margaret, right, was stabbed to death

She remained in a critical condition in hospital this evening, too ill to help police unravel what had caused her mother’s death.
As the women’s devastated family gathered at Miss McDonough’s bedside, police issued an urgent appeal for information about how the mother and daughter spent the final few hours before the incident.
Officers are keen to discover why the pair, from Paisley, had booked into a hotel just a few miles from their own home.

 

They also want to know where the pair went in the nine hours between checking into the Greenock hotel at around 4pm on Thursday and returning to their room at around 1am.
Police have said that no-one had yet been arrested or charged in connection with the incident, and they also refused to confirm whether or not they were looking for anyone as a possible suspect in the case.
Guests raised the alarm after finding Nicola, who graduated from university with a degree in social work last month, slumped unconscious in a corridor.

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

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 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.
'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.

Police at the Premier Inn where the two women were discovered

'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.'
Police were today guarding the family’s detached home in a quiet residential street in Paisley.
A close relative said the family were too upset to talk about the tragedy, particularly the loss of Mrs McDonough, and were praying for her daughter’s recovery.
Mrs McDonough’s ex-husband, Thomas, 56, of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, a former building firm boss, was tonight keeping a vigil at his daughter’s bedside in Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, where she is being treated for her injuries. Although the couple were divorced, they still remained on friendly terms and Mr McDonough was last night said to be ‘devastated’.

Investigating: Detectives combed the hotel for eight hours for evidence but at this stage are treating the incident as 'unexplained'

Police have been unable to speak to Miss McDonough, who studied social work and works at Cosgrove Care charity, because she is still too ill to talk.
On Facebook yesterday, family friends willed Miss McDonough to get well and posted words of encouragement, saying: ‘She’s a wee fighter. Hope they get the scum who did this to them.’
Another said: ‘We’re all praying xx.’
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.

The mother and daughter had apparently booked a single night stay at the Premier Inn

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.'
Police are also appealing for any witnesses to report sightings of the women and their vehicle.
A spokeswoman for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, which operates Premier Inn, today confirmed the 40-room hotel was still open and operating as normal.
However a police officer remained in the building and the room where the two women were staying was not available to book, the spokeswoman added.
She said: 'We are assisting the police with enquiries and cannot comment further on the matter at this stage.'

Questions: Nicola and Margaret McDonough booked into the Premier Inn hotel in Greenock, 25 miles from their home in Paisley on Thursday afternoon

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).
‘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.’

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