A couple that was found dead at their home had a Christmas dinner with their disabled children before killing themselves, friends told reporters. It was gathered that their suicide decision was among other things based on serious financial problems. UK DailyMail has more info:

Julia and Jan Tshabalala had their family meal a day early on Christmas Eve, then sent their two young children to stay with relatives. The next morning they were found dead in an apparent suicide pact.

Neighbours said they had seemed to be a 'nice happy family'. The couple's daughter, Serena, had cerebral palsy, although she did not need a wheelchair, while their son, Junior, had learning difficulties.

'They were very nice people,' said their next-door neighbour, who asked not to be named. 'We used to receive Christmas cards from them. They were a very private couple, but we would always speak to them over the fence. They always seemed like a happy couple, but you never really know do you?'

Police visited the rented £150,000 home in Billingshurst, West Sussex, on Christmas Day after a relative went to the house just after 9am. He apparently looked through a window and saw Jan, 33, who worked as a carer, hanging in a room. His wife Julia, in her 30s, was also dead inside.

Yesterday, the couple's white Kia 4×4 was outside their home, and a police officer was seen feeding the family's pet rabbits. Their children, thought to be aged between four and seven, go to a local school specialising in learning difficulties.‎