Woman ‘murdered’ in London and family found dead in Sussex

A woman has been found stabbed to death in London and her husband and sons have been found dead in Sussex, police say.

Police found the woman, believed to be in her 40s, with multiple stab wounds at their family home in South Road, Twickenham, southwest London.

Officers were called to the scene at about 5.54pm on Monday after concerns were raised about the family’s welfare.

After finding the woman dead, they quickly tried to locate her husband, aged 57, and two children, aged seven and 10.

Less than an hour earlier, just before 5pm, Sussex Police had discovered the bodies of a man and two young boys 85 miles away on the beach at Birling Gap, near Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They then contacted Scotland Yard after learning officers were looking for a man and his two sons.

A vehicle nearby the trio was then recovered by Sussex Police.

Their Twickenham home remains a crime scene.

Formal identification is yet to take place but police believe the man and two children are the woman’s immediate family, Scotland Yard said.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “At 4.55pm on Monday (5 March) a member of the public (not the police) found three bodies on the beach at the foot of cliffs at Birling Gap, East Dean.

“They are believed to be a father and his two sons from an address in Twickenham, west London, where the body of a woman was found on Monday afternoon.

“The deaths are being treated as suspicious and an investigation is under way.”

A Met Police spokesperson said a murder investigation had been launched into the death of the woman.

A statement said: “Post-mortem examinations for all four individuals will take place in due course. Formal identification awaits.

“Next of kin have been informed. No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.

“At this early stage, police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation.”

:: Anyone with information is asked to call the Metropolitan Police on 0208 721 4005, Sussex Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(c) Sky News 2018: Woman ‘murdered’ in London and family found dead in Sussex