THE family of a man found dead in his Co Antrim home were last night still awaiting the results of tests to establish how he died.
Laurence 'Lornie' Shaw (56) was discovered in his semi-detatched bungalow in Hillmount Gardens in Larne's Seacourt estate on Monday.
While it still remained unclear last night exactly how Mr Shaw died, his family have said they believe his throat had been cut.
A post mortem was due to be carried out yesterday, but the results of the examination had not yet been released.
Police had initially said that they were treating Mr Shaw's death as "suspicious", but a murder investigation was launched yesterday.
A 39-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder in the early hours of Tuesday last night remained in police custody.
Tributes have been paid to Mr Shaw, a keen boxer and footballer in his youth, with many describing him as someone who "would have done anything for you".
Relatives of Mr Shaw were yesterday returning from England and Scotland following his tragic death. It is understood he lived alone in the property where his body was found at around 1.30pm on Monday.
Residents have suggested there had been a party at the property over the weekend. There had also been a small fire inside the property prior to the discovery of his body.
Forensic officers carried out further searches at the property throughout yesterday and detectives were also involved in house-to-house inquiries in the Seacourt estate.
His death is the third tragedy to hit the family.
An uncle, Robert Shaw, was murdered by the UDA in 1993 as he sat in his van near the shore of Belfast Lough at Whiteabbey.
Mr Shaw's brother also lost a brother, Francis, in a car crash in 1978.
Police have appealed to anyone who noticed "suspicious activity" in the Hillmount Gardens area from Saturday afternoon onwards to contact them.
Launching the murder probe, PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Geoffrey Boyce said: "I am particularly keen to speak with anyone who saw or spoke with Laurence at any time over the weekend, or anyone who was in his company".
Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart last night said the launch of the murder inquiry was a "shocking development".
"I would ask people to let the police do their job in relation to the murder investigation. Whoever is responsible and whatever their motivation, they need to be taken off our streets and dealt with severely by the law."
