The bodies of a man and two children have been found at a house in Leicestershire after a police standoff outside the property.
Police said they were called to a semi-detached house in Hinckley at about 9.30pm on Tuesday after neighbours reported a disturbance on the street.
Negotiators made contact with a man and a woman in the property in Welwyn Road but, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, officers gained access to the house and found the body of a man and two children, named locally as David Stokes, 43, and his two sons, Adam, 11, and five-year-old Matthew.
An injured woman, named locally as the boys’ mother, Sally Stokes, 44, was taken to hospital, where she was said to be in a stable condition.
Police said the next of kin of those who died had been informed.
DCS David Sandall, the head of Leicestershire police’s crime and intelligence directorate, said: “A number of inquiries are now under way to understand what caused the three deaths, and the circumstances surrounding the events of last night in the house.
“Whilst we are not, at this stage, looking for anyone in connection with what happened, we would like to hear from anyone who may have information for us.”
As officers had been in contact with both the man and the woman on Tuesday evening, Leicestershire police have, as required in such circumstances, informed the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Neighbours told the Hinckley Times they heard screaming. Wendy Aubrey said: “They woke me up at 2.30am. I was in bed. My neighbour could see a woman standing in the street. She phoned the police. I was woken up by screaming.”
Forensic examinations were being carried out at the house and officers were carrying out house-to-house inquiries. The road was closed while the investigation continued and Leicestershire police said it was likely to remain so for some time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 748 of 1 November 2016.
