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Woodmancote deaths: Police to speak to family of four dead Woodmancote murder probe: Family of four found dead in house are named
(about 4 hours later)
Detectives investigating the deaths of four people in a West Sussex village are to speak to their relatives to "try to understand" what happened. Four members of a family found dead at a house in West Sussex have been named by police.
Two adults and two children were found dead at a house in Duffield Lane, Woodmancote, on Sunday evening. The bodies of Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and Robert Needham, 42, were found alongside their children Ava Needham, four, and two-year-old Lexi Needham.
Sussex Police said it had begun a murder inquiry and was not "seeking anyone else in connection". A murder investigation began after police were called to Duffield Lane in Woodmancote near Chichester on Sunday.
Ch Supt Jerry Westerman said it was a "very, very difficult situation to have to deal with". Detectives are "not seeking anyone else in connection with the matter" and described it as an "isolated incident".
Officers attended the address at around 18:45 BST on Sunday after receiving a call raising concerns for the welfare of the residents. A post-mortem examination has not yet taken place and police have not commented on the nature of their deaths.
They arrived to find four bodies – all believed to be members of the same family. The body of a pet dog was also found at the house, police said.
Ch Supt Westerman said it was a "tragic incident" that would have a "big impact on the local community".
"It’s a very, very difficult situation to have to deal with, particularly when children are involved," he added.
'In shock'
Police family liaison officers had been deployed to support the family, while detectives carry out house-to-house enquiries, speak to witnesses and carry out forensic investigations, he said.
"Importantly, we will be speaking to the family to understand what has gone on and get to the bottom of what has happened," he added, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Local resident and district councillor Roy Briscoe said he lived in the same lane.Local resident and district councillor Roy Briscoe said he lived in the same lane.
"It really is saddening. The whole lane is in shock really," he told BBC Radio Sussex. "They were a young couple, with two young children. We can't believe what happened," he told BBC Radio Sussex.
He said nobody "could believe it had happened" and it described the village as "one of the most friendly places I have ever lived". "It really is saddening. The whole lane is in shock really."
He said of the family: "They were a young couple, with two young children. We can’t believe what happened." Ch Supt Westerman said it was a "a very, very difficult situation to have to deal with, particularly when children are involved".
Police family liaison officers had been deployed to support the family, while detectives carry out house-to-house enquiries, speak to witnesses and carry out forensic investigations, he said.
"Importantly, we will be speaking to the family to understand what has gone on and get to the bottom of what has happened," he added.