The discovery of a bedridden widow and her brother one month after their death has been described as an “incredibly sad” family tragedy.
The body of Williamina Thomson, 80, was found along with the body of her brother John Guthrie, 78, on Monday evening.
The widow died after her brother and sole carer suddenly passed away leaving her alone with no-one to look after her.
The siblings hailed from Shetland but had later settled at Royal Court, Penicuik, Midlothian, where they were discovered.
It is not known how long Mrs Thomson, a widower, had been alone while her brother lay dead, but police said it is likely the pair had been deceased for up to a month before their bodies were discovered.
One neighbour said she thought Mr Guthrie, thought to be a bachelor, was visiting Shetland as she had not seen him for some time.
She said: “Win had arthritis. I hadn’t seen her for a long time – I thought she was housebound. They belonged to Shetland – John stayed here but he would sometimes go up to Shetland. I thought that’s where he was.
“It’s horrible to think about what could have happened – but you don’t want to interfere.
“They were neighbours and we said hello. It’s very tragic. It has really hit the neighbours because you feel so terrible.
“The police have been here since Monday night.”
A Midlothian Council spokeswoman said yesterday (Thur) the pair had not been on the radar of its social care department.
Cllr Derek Rosie, who represents the Midlothian ward of Penicuik, said: “”It’s incredibly sad when something like this happens so close to home.
“There’s not a whole lot we can say at this stage, but I can say that we were not aware of them and they had not contacted our excellent social care team for assistance.
“So, unfortunately we – as a council – were unable to help them without them reaching out us first.”
Mrs Thomson – known to neighbours as Win – had lived in the cul-de-sac for many years, and her brother had moved in more recently.
Concerns were raised about the pensioners’ welfare when their post began to jam in the letterbox, it is understood.
Police are treating the deaths as “unexplained”, and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.