Tributes paid to mother-of-three found dead after house fire, as girl, 13 appears in court holding teddy bear

12 March 2025, 13:26

A 13-year-old girl has appeared in court charged with murder and arson after the body of a woman was found after a house fire.

The teenager was charged with killing 43-year-old mother-of-three Marta Bednarczyk.

The girl appeared in court today clutching a teddy bear throughout the hearing.

The woman's body was discovered at a property in Newcomen Road, Wellingborough, shortly after 3am on Monday.

She is believed to have died as a result of sharp force injury.

The girl spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth during a short hearing today, and was remanded into custody.

Ordering the girl to appear before Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking KC at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday afternoon, chairman of the bench Kevin Walsh told the girl that she was being remanded in custody because of the nature of the charges.

He told the teenager: "You are going to be seen by a judge in the Crown Court at two o'clock."

Forensic officers are continuing inquiries at a property in Newcomen Road, which was attended by firefighters in the early hours of Monday.

A section of the street, comprising terraced homes and near to an Aldi supermarket and a Matalan shop, remained behind police tape on Wednesday, with multiple uniformed officers and marked cars at the scene, along with a fire service car.

The victim's family wrote in a tribute, released by police: "Marta was the matriarch of our family. She was a very caring woman, a loving mother, and a supportive friend who could never do enough for those she loved.

"She moved from Poland to the UK in 2010 - first to London and then to Wellingborough in 2012, where she worked in a warehouse in order to bring money home for her family.

"She was engaged to her long-term partner Eugene and had a small but tight network of friends and family.

"She was so loved by all of us and the tragic circumstances in which she died will haunt us forever. We don’t think we will ever come to terms with it.

"We are heartbroken at the thought of never seeing our lovely Marta again. She will be missed beyond words, and she will never be forgotten.

"Finally, we’d like to thank the police for the support they have provided us with since Sunday. They have been very kind and for that, we are really grateful."

The girl was arrested on Monday following the discovery of the body on Newcomen Road, Wellingborough, shortly after 3am that morning.

Police and firefighters had attended the address in Wellingborough after reports came in of a fire at the property. Inside, police officers found the body and paramedics declared her dead at the scene at 3.29am.

Police were at the scene overnight on Tuesday, and they are advising people to avoid the immediate area.