Post-mortem examinations are being carried out on the bodies of a man and woman found in their home near Newry in Co Down.
The couple, named locally as Jim and Mary McLaughlin, are believed to have died some time ago.
PSNI officers remained at the scene today as the investigation into the cause of the deaths continued.
The alarm was raised by the local postman after a person living in the area raised concerns that the normally well-kept garden had become badly overgrown.
Police cordoned off the bungalow on the Greenan Road between Warrenpoint and Newry shortly after arriving, and forensic officers examined the scene.
The bodies were removed yesterday afternoon.
The couple are believed to have moved to England shortly after getting married, but, around 50 years ago, moved back to the area where Mr McLaughlin was born.
Described as people who "kept themselves to themselves" they are not believed to have any immediate family or close friends in the area.
Local people today spoke of a sense of sadness and shock about what had happened.
Bernie Downey, who lives nearby, laid a bouquet of flowers at the front gate this afternoon.
"I was just heart sorry to hear that would happen in our neighbourhood because these were two quiet, civil, very private people that never really mixed a lot," she said.
"And it's just sad if they weren’t well or that, that they didn’t have the wherewithal to contact somebody."
Declan McAteer, an SDLP councillor on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said that the fact that two people had died alone and lain undetected was also a cause of concern.
"Throughout Ireland and these islands we’ve all heard of situations like this, people dying on their own," he said.
"An absolute sense of sadness, and that’s the overarching sentiment really, it’s one of total sadness that this could have happened within our community and people weren’t really aware of how, you know, what had happened and how serious it has turned out to be."
