The Minister for Justice has said that those behind an arson attack in which a four-year-old boy and his grand-aunt were killed will be brought to justice.
Tadhg Farrell and 60-year-old Mary Holt were killed in the blaze which occurred at a terraced house in Castleview Park in Edenderry on Saturday evening.
Minister Jim O'Callaghan said gardaí will "relentlessly" pursue those responsible for this "murderous attack".
He said it was "an attack that was designed to kill the inhabitants" of the house.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the minister said he was aware that one line of inquiry is that the attack was carried out by an organised criminal gang involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands.
If that is the case, he said, "it just confirms that drugs are destroying societies and people who get involved in drugs need to know that they will wreak devastation, not just on themselves, but on those close to them and families in the area."
Gardaí are working to identify suspects for the attack, in which another woman, aged in her 50s, was seriously injured.
She is being treated at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
Gardaí described the incident as a "callous, reckless and a murderous attack on a family home".
One line of investigation is that the attack may have been carried out by an organised criminal gang involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands
However, Ms Holt and Tadhg were innocent and it is understood the house may have been targeted in a case of drug debt intimidation.
It is believed that a petrol bomb was thrown in the front window of the house sometime before 8pm on Saturday.
Post-mortem examinations were carried out by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster yesterday afternoon.
The scene remains sealed off today, as further technical and forensic examinations continue.
Castleview Park is a long established housing estate close to the town.
Independent Ireland councillor Fergus McDonnell, who lived in the estate for 20 years, said yesterday the community is distraught by what had unfolded.