Beachy Head: a fatal attraction | Does media coverage contribute? | Survivor's tale | Alpha Mummy: coping with the death of a child

Four pints of milk on the doorstep of the Wiltshire farmhouse were the only clue yesterday that the family who lived there would not be coming home.

A large bouquet of lilies lay by the bottles, left by a neighbour in mourning for the mother and father found dead at the foot of Beachy Head, Sussex.

Neil Puttick, 34, and his Japanese wife Kazumi, 44, committed suicide together days after the death of their young son, police said. They could not cope with the loss of Samuel, 5, who died on Friday of pneumococcal meningitis. His body was found in a rucksack alongside those of his parents at the foot of the cliffs.

Sam had been confined to a wheelchair since a car accident four years ago left him paralysed from the neck down. He needed 24-hour care and his parents had given up their jobs to look after him.

He fought back from his injuries, starting school in September, visiting local farms and learning to play computer games using his mouth to work a joystick. A few months ago his parents described Sam as “the happiest boy in the world” and photographs on a website that they set up show him as a cheerful boy with a cheeky smile.

Last Tuesday, however, he was admitted to hospital with meningitis. Three days later doctors said that there was no hope of recovery. He was discharged on Friday to end his life at home. He died that evening.

Police believe that Mr and Mrs Puttick, overcome with grief, killed themselves by jumping off the cliffs at on Sunday night.

The bodies were found on a ledge 120m (400ft) below the cliff tops, near Eastbourne, known for suicides. Post-mortem examinations were conducted yesterday and police have contacted relatives in Britain and Japan.

The family lived in the hamlet of Brokerswood, near Westbury in Wiltshire. The couple, who married in Japan in 1997, made huge sacrifices to allow them to care for Sam at home. Mr Puttick gave up his job and they used the insurance money from Sam’s accident to have the house converted, building an extension that included a physiotherapy suite and accommodation for carers.

Sam was doing well at school despite his disabilities. A video of him playing a Lego game was posted on the internet only three weeks ago.

Sue Capon, a neighbour and owner of the Brokerswood Country Park, had known the family since they moved to Wishing Well Farm. Sam was a regular visitor to the country park and enjoyed following the woodland trails in his wheelchair, visiting orphaned lambs and eating chocolate cake in the tearooms.

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