Purley rail deaths: Donna Oettinger drags son, 3, to their deaths under speeding train at Riddlesdown station Mother Donna Oettinger and her son Zackary, three, both killed in tragedy Incident happened at Riddlesdown rail station in Purley, Croydon She jumped in front of train and 'dragged' son, nicknamed 'Zaki', with her In months before tragedy she wrote on Facebook she had anxiety attacks By Suzannah Hills and Martin Robinson A mother killed herself and her toddler son by jumping in front of a rush hour train this morning. Donna Oettinger, 41, 'dragged' her son Zackary, three, by the hand on to the track at Riddlesdown station near Croydon, South London, during rush hour. Ms Oettinger, who had been battling depression, walked her child the short distance from their family home where she carried out the terrible double killing. Zackary, who was nicknamed Zaki and was adored by neighbours in the quiet suburban street they lived in just 300 yards from the station, had celebrated his third birthday just a week ago. Incident: Donna Oettinger and her three-year-old son Zackary, nicknamed Zaki, are both believed to have been killed at Riddlesdown Station near Purley, Surrey this morning It is understood that police were treating the deaths as a murder and suicide and a full scale search of Donna's home was underway as other officers interviewed commuters, who saw the death scene in the station. Tragedy: Donna's child Zaki had just celebrated his third birthday according to neighbours, and was much-loved in their street just 300 metres from the station where they died A row of teddy bears remains in the upstairs window of Donna's Riddledown home this afternoon as police search the property. In the months leading up to her death Donna had posted on Facebook about suffering from panic attacks and severe anxiety. 'Thank God I have my son Zaki I owe him a lot when I get better love you son with all my heart xxx,' she wrote in October. Donna, who worked at Sidcup-based transport firm Transcar Projects, also wrote: 'So scared don't know who I am anymore. Feeling so depressed with this f****** severe anxiety dread waking up. 'Panic attacks all day long can't stand this anymore.' She admitted had gone to her GP who had changed her medication but she told loved-ones they had not been working. 'I hope and pray there is light at the end of the tunnel,' she wrote just days before Christmas last year. She also wrote to friends and family online telling them she had fun with them and would try to 'remember the good old days'. Tragedy: Yellow markers can be seen along the railway track at Riddlesdown station where witnesses claim the mother dragged her child on to the tracks into the path of an oncoming train Neighbours told how Donna and Zaki lived with her mother, but they said they had not seen the boy's father, understood to a Egyptian who was living abroad. It was understood police were making contact with him to break news of the deaths of his partner and son. Named: Donna Oettinger is understood to have killed herself and her son Zaki at Riddlesdown Station this morning The curtains on another of the bedroom windows remained pulled tightly shut and there were no cars in the driveway of the white stucco semi-detached house. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'Poor Zaki. I've only just moved in but I have seen her a few times, she lived with her mother. Zaki such a sweet little boy. Always so happy. 'I saw her just yesterday, I'm a childminder and she saw me with two screaming children - she looked at me with pity. She was always rushing around with him. Last time I saw her his blanket was hanging down, I told her because it was getting dirty. 'It's a real tragedy. To hear this I'm just in shock.' Another neighbour said that she would rarely see Donna out and about, and that she seemed to be a very private person. 'She'd always say hello, but not much more,' she said. The police have been in and out of the house all morning so we suspected something might have happened. Plain-clothed police officers were stationed outside the house, on a leafy suburban street. A family liaison officer was also helping Donna's parents to come to terms with their loss. Neighbours living closer to the train station said that they had seen ambulances, fire engines and police arrive at the scene. A commuter was also heard screaming 'there's a body on the track,' alerting rail staff to the double tragedy. Guards: Police Officers stand outside the home of Donna Oettinger and her young son Zaki, close to the railway station where they died Poignant: A row of teddy bears stand in a bedroom window of the house this afternoon as police investigate inside Family: Donna Oettinger, Zaki and the man who is understood to be her former partner and Zaki's father, who neighbours say is Egyptian Commuters on the train affected were eventually allowed to leave their compartments at 10am, more than 90 minutes after the incident. Devastating: Donna Oettinger is said to have battled depression and anxiety attacks A British Transport Police (BTP) spokeswoman said: ' I can confirm that the woman and child who died at Riddlesdown rail station today have been named as Donna Oettinger, 41, and her son, three-year-old Zachary. BTP officers were called to the station after a report that a woman and a child had been struck by a train. The incident was reported to BTP and was also attended by Metropolitan Police officers. Medics from the London Ambulance Service also attended, but Donna and Zachary were sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The station was closed while officers and medics dealt with the incident. Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Iain Miller added: 'Our thoughts remain with Donna and Zachary family and friends at this sad and difficult time. Officers are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances of what happened, although early indications show that no one else was believed to have been involved. A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman: 'We were called today to reports of two people under a train at Riddlesdown railway station. We sent a single responder in a car, an ambulance crew and a duty officer. Sadly, a woman and a child were dead at the scene. The station: Police officers walk along the platform of Riddlesdown station where a mother and her three-year-old son were killed by a rush hour train this morning One witness said: 'She jumped pulling the kid with her. A spokesman for Network Rail said: 'Two people were struck by a train at Riddlesdown station this morning.