By LIZ HULL

Last updated at 19:02 04 May 2008

A husband is believed to have murdered his wife before killing himself after she told friends on Facebook they were splitting up, it emerged yesterday.

Tracey Grinhaff's body was found in a shed in the back garden of the family home she shared with her husband, Gary, and their two young daughters, aged 14 and four.

An hour later, officers discovered the body of Mr Grinhaff, 41, an electrical engineer, in woodland nearby.

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Tracey Grinhaff is said to have posted a message on Facebook saying she was splitting from husband Gary

Both had died of head injuries, although police said Mr Grinhaff's were self-inflicted.

Less than a fortnight ago Mrs Grinhaff, 42, updated her profile on the social networking site, Facebook, telling friends she was "currently splitting" from her husband.

She added: "Been married for 16 years but together for 26!!!! God that makes me sound old."

Neighbours in the town of Wombwell, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, yesterday described the couple and their children as "the perfect little family."

But others said they believed Mr Grinhaff had recently found out his wife was having an affair.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: "It's that classic age-old problem where there's been a love triangle and people are saying that Gary found out about it.

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Tributes have been paid to the mother of two

"The postman told me - he seems to know everything.

"They were a lovely family, we didn't live in each other's pockets, but they were always so friendly. I just worry about those two little girls.

"I couldn't sleep last night thinking about this dreadful tragedy - but it will all come out in the end."

Rumours have also spread through the tight-knit community that the couple's daughters, Chloe, 13, and Niamh, three, knocked on a neighbour's door on Friday with a note that said something bad had happened to their parents.

Julie Kendall, 38, who became friends with Mrs Grinhaff at a local mothers and toddlers group four years ago, said: "I didn't really know her husband, but I do think it's true that they were splitting up.

Describing her friend as “genuine, caring and kind”, Mrs Kendall added: “There are probably a handful of people that you would meet like Tracey in one lifetime.

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Tracey's body was found in the back garden of their semi detached

“You couldn't fault her for anything."

Enid Hindley, who lived two doors away from the Grinhaff family since they moved in more than 18 years ago, said: “It's just devastating. Everybody's talking about it. Everybody's in a state of shock.

“It's just one of those things that you would never expect.”

Other neighbours called them a “perfect, little family” with “two lovely girls".

“Tracey and Gary were just wonderful parents,” one woman said. “You couldn't wish for any better.”

Post mortems carried out over the weekend confirmed that Mrs Grinhaff died from head injuries and Mr Grinhaff from self-inflicted injuries.

After the bodies were discovered on Friday morning a man, believed to be a neighbour, was arrested on suspicion of murder but was later released without charge.

In a statement today, South Yorkshire Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.