 In the weeks before the fatal attack, the children's mother Chrissie had expressed fear that she wasn't welcome in the area and that there was a possibility the family home might be attacked by loyalists.The "Ballymoney Times" reported a story the week of the deaths, stating that a resident of the Carnany estate called in and was concerned about tension in the area adding something serious might happen ""unless Catholic residents were left alone"".Various members of Chrissie's family had lived in Carnany but due to several incidents only Chrissie and her sons remained.