Family of four including two young girls found dead at home on Norfolk estate

19 January 2024, 13:27 | Updated: 19 January 2024, 16:45

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Norfolk Police have launched an investigation after a family of four were found dead at a property near Norwich.

Police rushed to an address in Allan Bedford Crescent, Costessey, at around 7am this morning after a call from a member of the public.

Officers forced themselves into the property where they found a man, 45, a woman, 36, and two young girls, in the same family, police said.

A weapon was also found in the nearby woods but this is not understood to be linked to their deaths, police added.

"We do believe they were all family members at this time," Detective Chief Inspector Chris Burgess, from the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, said.

"Three of the people are believed to have resided at the address and another non-permanently."

Detective Burgess also confirmed that police had previous contact with those at the address regarding a missing persons case.

One resident, a man in his 40s, told the Norwich Evening News: "We only live four doors away, we didn't know the family but our thoughts are with those who know and love them because this is just horrendous.

"You don't know how to react to such news."

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Detective Burgess continued: “Our investigation is in the very early stages and this is clearly a very distressing and tragic incident.

“While we’re following a number of lines of enquiry, at this time we believe this is an isolated incident.

“I understand that news of this incident will be shocking to the local community and as soon as we can we will release more information.”

Another neighbour told the BBC he was "absolutely shocked" at the incident.

"It's a quiet estate, things don't happen around here like this," he said.

There is a large police presence at the scene, with a forensics tent set up outside the property on the estate.

The investigation is being led by the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigations Team, who have said it is still in its "early stages".