Shock at deaths of elderly Yell couple

PEOPLE on the Shetland isle of Yell have expressed shock and disbelief after an elderly brother and sister were found dead in a flat in Penicuik, near Edinburgh.

Neither 80 year old Williamina Thomson or her 78 year old brother John Guthrie have lived in Yell for many years, but the pair still have relations in the island.

They were both found dead in their home at Royal Court late on Monday night.

Edinburgh police said there were no suspicious circumstances or any suggestion of foul play and the deaths may have been medical in nature.

One line of enquiry is that the housebound widow who suffered from arthritis died after her brother, who had moved in with his sister to be her carer, suddenly passed away.

People living in the neighbourhood were reported not to have been seen for several weeks, leading to concerns they had been dead for some time before they were discovered.

Police said they were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to confirm the causes of death.