Police are investigating the unexplained death of a woman whose daughter was murdered four years ago. Christine Davidson, 50, was found injured at her home in Coatbridge on Wednesday afternoon following a concern call, and died in the early hours of Thursday at University Hospital Monklands.
Her daughter Emma Baillie, 26, was killed by her partner Peter Duffy, 49, in April 2022. Duffy also murdered his own brother, John Paul, 51, on the same occasion. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2024 after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, with a warning that he may never be freed.
Family shock and tributes
A family friend said: "This has come as a total shock - a complete bolt from the blue. All we know is she was discovered with a head injury but we have no idea how that could have happened. Our only consolation is that she is now at peace with her daughter. She was never the same after Emma’s horrific death."
Christine had previously spoken of her grief after Duffy's conviction, revealing she had begged Emma to leave him. She said: "She wouldn’t listen to me about how violent Peter was. I have known him my whole life and knew he was a headcase who carried a blade. I kept saying, ‘please don’t go with him, he’s too old for you. He’s volatile and he’ll just snap.’ But she was just young and didn’t want to listen. I knew this would end in tears."
Police statement and ongoing enquiries
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.35pm on Wednesday, 21 October, we received a report of concern for a person in Coatbridge. Officers attended at a property and a woman was found injured within a property. She was taken to University Hospital Monklands where she died in the early hours of Thursday, 22 October. The death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course."
Emma had been due to give evidence against Duffy, who was accused of bursting her nose and throwing her downstairs, but the trial did not go ahead after she failed to appear in court on 17 March 2022. Duffy's murder trial later heard she was "dead for around 12 days" by that point. On 10 April, police found Duffy sleeping on a couch at his brother's home, where John Paul's decomposing body was discovered under a pile of rubbish on another sofa. Two days later, officers found Emma's body hidden under clothes at Duffy's home.
