“YOU were my best friend. So many amazing memories and happy times.”

A school pal’s heartbreaking message to little Chris Hall is among dozens of tributes that have been laid outside the boy’s home in Queen’s Road in Parkstone.

It was here the bodies of the six-year-old and his dad, also called Chris, were discovered on Wednesday evening.

The 53-year-old father took his own life and that of his beloved son’s, with the pair discovered tucked up in bed together.

Mr Hall feared he was about to lose his boy in a custody battle with ex-partner Rachel Edwards, who had recently moved out after a 10-year relationship.

Yesterday, the community was still struggling to come to terms with the sudden deaths of Big Chris and Little Chris, as they were known.

Bunches of flowers, teddy bears and balloons were rested on the wall outside the two-storey house, many with heartfelt messages.

“Chris and Chris Junior, you will be missed so much,” read one card. “You were both amazing friends and we’ll always be thinking of you.”

Several messages mentioned the family’s dogs and the fact they were always seen out walking them in nearby Alexandra Park.

“Miss you down the park Chris x x x” said one message.

Another read: “We shall miss you and the dogs.”

Other messages summed up the helplessness felt by friends and neighbours, but also an understanding of the events leading up to the tragedy.

“How I wish we could have helped you,” said one card.

“Did we let you down?”

Another message read: “May you find peace and happiness together in a better world.”

It is understood Ms Edwards initially raised the alarm when she failed to get a reply at the house on Wednesday night.

It has emerged that she runs Rachel’s Café, on Leyland Road, Wallisdown, which as been shut since Thursday.

A note on the shutters states it will remain “closed until further notice”.

A member of staff at Allfix, which shares the building with the café, said they were shocked by what had happened.

Mr Hall was a bodybuilder and his garage at Queen’s Road was kitted out with a full set of gym equipment and weights benches.

He ran his own handyman business, but this had been left hanging in the balance after the break-up of his relationship as he did not hold a driving licence and relied on Rachel for lifts. Friends and neighbours described how Little Chris, who attended Courthill First School, was his dad’s life and the pair were inseparable.

Police conducted a post-mortem on both bodies on Thursday afternoon, but the results failed to establish the causes of death. Further tests will now take place. The results could take many weeks to emerge.

It is thought Mr Hall may have given his diabetic son an insulin overdose, before drugging himself.

The house remained cordoned off by police for most of yesterday, with officers arriving and leaving throughout the day. An inquest into the deaths of Mr Hall and his son will be opened on Monday.