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Crying children alert UK police to suspected murder-suicide | Crying children alert UK police to suspected murder-suicide |
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Detectives have been alerted to the scene of a suspected murder-suicide by the cries of three children, including a newborn baby. | Detectives have been alerted to the scene of a suspected murder-suicide by the cries of three children, including a newborn baby. |
Police said they found the bodies of a 26-year-old woman and her 30-year-old husband when neighbours heard the children sobbing and raised the alarm. | Police said they found the bodies of a 26-year-old woman and her 30-year-old husband when neighbours heard the children sobbing and raised the alarm. |
The woman is thought to have been violently attacked and murdered by her partner, who then killed himself at the family home in the West Midlands. | The woman is thought to have been violently attacked and murdered by her partner, who then killed himself at the family home in the West Midlands. |
DI Jim Munro said police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. | DI Jim Munro said police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. |
He said: “This is a truly tragic incident: it’s understood the woman was violently attacked before the offender took his own life. | He said: “This is a truly tragic incident: it’s understood the woman was violently attacked before the offender took his own life. |
“The timeline of exactly what happened is unclear but we believe the two people died during the morning. | “The timeline of exactly what happened is unclear but we believe the two people died during the morning. |
“There were three children, including a small baby, present at the address when officers made the discovery and they are being looked after by loved ones and will receive specialist support.” | “There were three children, including a small baby, present at the address when officers made the discovery and they are being looked after by loved ones and will receive specialist support.” |
Neighbours described how the eldest child, believed to be seven or eight, rushed out of the house and banged on a neighbours’ door after the violent attack on Saturday afternoon. | Neighbours described how the eldest child, believed to be seven or eight, rushed out of the house and banged on a neighbours’ door after the violent attack on Saturday afternoon. |
One neighbour, who declined to be named, said the couple, thought to be eastern European, lived at the semi-detached house with a baby and two other young children. | One neighbour, who declined to be named, said the couple, thought to be eastern European, lived at the semi-detached house with a baby and two other young children. |
“One of them, the middle child, was refusing to come out initially, as they wanted to stay inside with their mother,” he said. | “One of them, the middle child, was refusing to come out initially, as they wanted to stay inside with their mother,” he said. |
Another neighbour added: “It’s such a shock, I can’t believe it. Nothing usually happens here, it’s really quiet. I just feel for the kids, you know, because they’ve lost their mum and their dad.” | Another neighbour added: “It’s such a shock, I can’t believe it. Nothing usually happens here, it’s really quiet. I just feel for the kids, you know, because they’ve lost their mum and their dad.” |
Two police officers sat in an unmarked car parked outside the house in Oldbury on Monday. | Two police officers sat in an unmarked car parked outside the house in Oldbury on Monday. |
The curtains of the house were drawn, while in the tidy back garden a trampoline and a child’s ride-along car could be seen. | The curtains of the house were drawn, while in the tidy back garden a trampoline and a child’s ride-along car could be seen. |
Postmortems will take place on Monday, police said. | Postmortems will take place on Monday, police said. |