Two 14-year-olds charged with murder after a woman and her daughter were found dead at a house in Lincolnshire are due to appear in court on Monday.
A Lincolnshire police spokesman said the victims had not been formally identified, but they were believed to be 49-year-old Elizabeth Edwards, a mother of three, and her 13-year-old daughter Katie.
Police have yet to confirm the gender of the teenagers charged, but reports say they are boys. DCI Martin Holvey of the East Midlands special operations unit said postmortem examinations had not yet taken place to determine the cause of death of mother and daughter.
“I still need to speak to anyone with any information that might be relevant from Dawson Avenue from around noon on Wednesday 13 April to noon on Friday 15 April. If you saw or heard anything that you thought was suspicious or unusual I’d encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible.”
The bodies were found at the semi-detached house in Dawson Avenue, Spalding, on Friday afternoon.
One resident living close to Edwards, a dinner lady, said she last saw her on Tuesday. The neighbour, who declined to be named, said: “She was a lovely lady, very friendly and I knew her quite well. She was quite well-known because she worked at a primary school and what has happened is just unbelievable. Katie was lovely too, but very quiet.”
Friends and family have placed flowers and a teddy bear on the lawn in front of the house, as forensic experts continued to examine the property. Relatives paid tribute on social media sites and a teenage friend of Katie described her as being “like a sister” and Edwards a second mother.
Edwards’ partner, Graham Green, wrote on Facebook: “My babe has gone but you will always in my heart forever and ever and ever. The lady meant the world to me she was my rock. Katie so young lots of good times in front of us been taken away r.i.p.”
Edwards’ eldest daughter Mary said: “I love you both so. Still in shock, can’t believe they’re gone. I love them so much. I need my mum.”
Her ex-partner, Peter Edwards, who is the father of Katie and her two sisters, said: “The loved ones around us will keep us strong every step of the way.”
Supt Paul Timmins said the deaths had generated a great deal of local concern and upset.
“I would like to make clear that this type of crime is extremely rare. Indeed, we believe this is a completely isolated incident,” he said.
“There is still a lot of police activity in the area and extra officers in the neighbourhood and I would encourage anyone who has any concerns to please talk to our officers.”
