Police are waiting to interview a father after the bodies of his two young sons were found locked in the boot of his car.
A massive police manhunt was launched after Sanjeev Chada, 43, went missing with his sons Eoghan, 10, and five-year-old Ruairi after a trip to a bowling alley on Sunday night.
Mum Kathleen, a nurse at a fertility clinic in Dublin, became concerned when her family didn't return home and raised the alarm.
On Monday afternoon, a car crash was reported outside Westport, County Mayo, Ireland - 260km from the family home.
Officers arrived at the scene and found Chada with minor injuries – believed to be cuts and bruises.
However, when a passerby opened the boot they found the bodies of his two young sons.
There were no visible injuries on the bodies and it is believed they had been dead for some time. Gardai believe the boys were strangled before the smash.
The scene was preserved for forensic technical examination and the office of the State Pathologist was notified.
Chada was taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar but his injuries are not serious.
The family priest, Fr Declan Foley, said he was with their mother Kathleen when news of the double tragedy came through.
"Kathleen is heartbroken," he said. "To lose one child is indescribable pain but to lose two children is unthinkable. She is just numb."
Police are now waiting to interview Chada about the deaths of his sons. It is believed the dad of two had recently been spoken to by gardai probing allegations that €40,000 went missing from a community centre.