Teenage couple die in shotgun tragedy

Sophie Taylor, 16, and her long-term boyfriend Callum Murray, a trainee gamekeeper, both died as result of gunshot wounds at the isolated house where they had been spending the evening together with another gamekeeper and his girlfriend.

The Scotsman understands detectives are working on the theory that Miss Taylor was killed after her 18-year-old boyfriend accidentally discharged his shotgun inside the cottage.

Just 45 minutes before emergency services were called to the scene of the tragedy, Miss Taylor, a pupil at Speyside High School in Aberlour, posted a message on social networking site Facebook in which she described how she and a girlfriend were being "gamekeepers' wives" for the evening. The apparently happy teenager wrote: "Me and Leanne discussing what to cook for supper. Leanne can you cook burgers in an oven? We are being the gamekeepers' wives cooking Callum and Euan supper, burgers, sausages and some pork thing we found."

Miss Taylor's body was found inside the cottage by the emergency services who were called to the shootings while the body of her boyfriend was discovered lying in the garden in what one eyewitness described as a "scene of absolute horror".

Last night, as detectives from Grampian Police continued to piece together how events unfolded, Miss Taylor's grieving parents David, 41, and Katie, 44, led the tributes to their "beautiful, bright and bubbly" daughter.

In a statement, released by Grampian Police, they said: "We are devastated at the loss of our beautiful daughter Sophie, who will be greatly missed by us, her brother and her grandparents as well as her many friends.

"Sophie was bright and bubbly and loved spending time with her family and friends. We are immensely proud of her. We are a close family who will miss her very much and are completely shocked to have lost her so prematurely."

• Numb with shock: a rural community that never expected such heartbreak in its midst

They added: "She was studying for her standard grades at Speyside High School and had plans to continue working towards becoming a social worker. We now wish our privacy respected as we come to terms with our most tragic loss."

In the village of Tomintoul, Moray, near where Miss Taylor stayed with her parents, locals said that she had been accidentally shot by her boyfriend and that a distraught Mr Murray had committed suicide by turning the shotgun on himself.

But detectives investigating the shootings on Tuesday have still to officially rule out murder and suicide.

The tragedy has left Tomintoul, one of the most remote villages in Scotland, devastated.

The couple died at Blair Marrow Cottage, the estate cottage where Mr Murray stayed, three miles from the Lecht Ski centre and about ten miles from Tomintoul.

The area around the three-bedroomed cottage and its dilapidated outbuildings remained cordoned off yesterday as forensic officers carried out a fingertip search of the area. Crime scene officers removed bags of stones from the gravel driveway at the scene of the shooting where a blue Corsa was parked. A shirt and a towel still hung on the washing line in the garden at the rear of the property.Mr Murray, who had been dating Miss Taylor for about two years, was working as a trainee gamekeeper on the Glenavon estate. He had studied at North Highland College

Miss Taylor's father David is head gamekeeper at the neighbouring Delnabo estate.

Family friend Dru McPherson, the proprietor of the Clock House Restaurant in Tomintoul where Miss Taylor's mother Katie works as waitress, said the news of the double tragedy had been met with complete shock and disbelief by the residents of the Moray village.

He said: "I know Sophie very well. The family have been in Tomintoul for more than 20 years. Sophie was fantastic - a great looking girl, vivacious, bright with everything in front of her - and then gone in seconds. It really is terrible."

Mr McPherson, whose son Connor was in the same class as Miss Taylor, said: "The word on the street is that this was an accident. She died in the house.

"He went out of the house, followed by the other keeper who tried to stop him (killing himself] but . . ."

He continued: "The only saving grace is that, because there were other people there, there will be no conjecture as to what actually happened. And I think that is going to be a great relief for the families."

Last night, as darkness fell on the cottage close to the A939 where the couple died, a team of more than 30 detectives and other police officers was still carrying out a detailed search of the area.

Detective Inspector Stewart Mackie, who is leading the inquiry, said that investigators were keeping an "open mind" on the two deaths.

But he confirmed that no-one on else was being sought in connection with the shooting.

He also confirmed both teenagers had been killed as a result of gunshot wounds.

DI Mackie said: "We are trying to put a timeline together and establish what exactly has happened in relation to this incident."

Mr Mackie explained that Grampian Police had first been alerted about the incident at 6:45pm on Tuesday when the force received a call from the Scottish Ambulance Service.

With details then scarce, the call reported an incident near Tomintoul in which two people, a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, had been shot dead.DI Mackie added: "The scene itself - obviously as it involved two young people - was particularly distressing and a traumatic scene for my officers and indeed the paramedics who attended there.

"This incident will undoubtedly cause shock and distress within the community, both within Tomintoul and Grampian as a whole.

"We would like to reassure the local community that this is an isolated incident.

"Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the two deaths are at a very early stage.

"However, it is important to stress that we are not looking for any third party at this point in time.

"We want to reassure the community that the area is safe and remains safe and that their safety is paramount."