A mother and her two daughters who were found ‘murdered’ in a deadly crossbow attack at their home were the family of BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
John reportedly found his wife Carol and two daughters at their £800,000 detached house in Bushey, Hertfordshire last night before alerting the cops, according to the Telegraph.
Armed police later descended on the four-bedroom house on Ashlyn Close where they discovered the victims with serious injuries, which they later died from. Police sources said the three women were tied up before being shot.
Police are now hunting Kyle Clifford, 26, from Enfield, who is believed to be the former partner of one of the victims and is wanted in connection with the tragic incident.
The force warned he may still be armed and is dangerous. The public have been urged not to approach him and call 999.
Carol Hunt, who was married to BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt (pictured together), was found dead along with her two daughters at her home last night
Carol (pictured) and her two daughters were found dead in their £800,000 detached house in Bushey, Hertfordshire last night
Kyle Clifford, 26, from Enfield, is being actively sought by police concerning the incident
Police stand at a cordon in front and blue tent which has been erected outside a property in Bushey, Hertfordshire following the deaths of three women
Two armed police officers stand guard at the scene on a street in Bushey where three women, believed to be related, were discovered with serious injuries
Police have said they have launched a manhunt for Clifford
This morning the small close was cordoned off while scenes of crime officers carried out a forensic examination. Neighbours were concerned the killer was still at large.
Aerial shots of the scene aired on the BBC show a blue and white forensic tent in the front garden of one of the homes in the cul-de-sac, with a police officer on guard and several police vehicles parked nearby.
Dramatic video from the scene earlier today a mass of police cars parked along the road and two armed police officers standing guard.
A neighbour, who lives on the ‘serene and quiet road’ and did not want to be named, said she did not know the victims well but they were a ‘friendly family’.
‘We would see them every day passing by and they would say ‘good morning’,’ she said. ‘It’s really sad what’s happened, very shocking.’
Another Herfordshire local today claimed ‘there has been a helicopter circling all morning’ close to the Bushey border.
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is being kept ‘fully updated’ on the killings of the three women who were found in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and has urged anyone with information about the case to contact police.
The Labour MP said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: ‘The loss of three women’s lives in Bushey last night is truly shocking. My thoughts are with the family & friends of those who have been killed & with the community.
‘I am being kept fully updated. I urge people to support (Hertfordshire Police) with any information about this case.’
One local resident, who lives on a nearby street, told MailOnline that his friends went to school with some of the victims.
He said: ‘From 7pm there was like 20 police cars coming down, four ambulances and then armed police came and they were here till midnight.
‘I know of them (the victims). So a few of them went to school with people that I know. That’s all I know. I didn’t know them personally.
‘I know they went to schools in the area in the area. They didn’t go to my school.’
A blue and white forensic tent has been erected in the front garden of one of the homes in the cul-de-sac in Bushey
A paramedic can be seen talking into his radio at the crime scene while a police officer stands guard at one of the houses
Police in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire, where three women, who police believe to be related, died last night
A police car is seen parked up outside a police cordon in Ashlyn Close, Bushey
Local councillor Laurence Brass, who lives nearby, said the area is ‘a typical leafy British suburb’.
He told the BBC: ‘At about eight o’clock last night, I was watching the football on television, and suddenly a helicopter landed in the lawn outside my flat, which is at the top of this road, and then my phone started going, and I was told that there was a major incident here in Bushey and we should all keep away because there was somebody apparently on the run.
‘This is not something that happens in Bushey.
‘We can’t remember a murder in our rather quiet neck of the woods, so (it’s a) terrible shock and our sympathies and prayers and thoughts are with the families of the three women.
‘That really is a terrible thing to happen to anybody, and I’ve gathered they’re all from the same family, which obviously makes it even more tragic, and we’ll do everything we can as the local council to add our source of comfort where we can.’
Another man who lives close to the murder scene in Bushey said the incident was ‘tragic’ and claimed the victims were ‘a middle class family’.
Riaz, who is in his 50s and declined to give a second name, said: ‘At 6 o’clock, my wife called me while I was at work, saying ‘there are so many police cars down the road which I’ve never seen before’, and she was distressed.
‘I didn’t know (what had happened) at that point, then at that very moment my nephew phoned me saying something tragic had happened and was I OK. I came early evening and I saw the cars and realised something tragic had happened.’
‘It’s a serene, quiet road, but there was over a dozen cars here. It’s quite disturbing, but any tragedy like this has a bearing on how you feel.
‘I don’t think it’s anything that we really should be overtly concerned about. Relationships go up and down, sometimes they end up like this.
‘This has been an awful situation and I can’t even imagine what the family must be going through.
An aerial view of the scene of the suspected triple murder in Bushey, Hertfordshire
Two officers stand outside a police cordon at the scene of a triple murder in Ashlyn Close
A lone police officers patrols the road at the scene of a triple murder in Ashlyn Close
‘My wife and I walk down that road often and it is quiet. It is surprising, especially in the magnitude. To have three individuals who have been tragically killed, it is tragic.’
Another resident living in the proximity of the attacks described the terrifying police response that descended on the quiet cul-de-sac.
They said: ‘There were 11 police cars, an armed response unit, 4 ambulances and a fire engine.
‘We’re not allowed to park on our driveway and have had to park round the corner. Whatever happened, it’s really bad and everyone is shaken up.’
Telecoms specialist Diaz Hussein, who is in his 50s, told The Telegraph he didn’t recognise Clifford and had ‘not noticed him around here before’.
He added: ‘It’s absolutely terrifying. Everyone around here is deeply shocked.
‘This is a lovely friendly street where everyone gets on. Lots of professionals live here and we all get on very well. I’m stunned at what’s happened.’
Detective Superintendent Rob Hall from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: ‘This is an incredibly difficult incident for the victims’ family and we would ask that their privacy is respected as they come to terms with what has happened.
‘Whilst we are still in the early stages of this investigation, we are actively seeking Kyle Clifford who we believe could be in the areas of Hertfordshire or North London.
‘Given the serious nature of the incident, I would ask anyone who knows where he is to contact police immediately. If you believe you see him, please do not approach him and dial 999 straight away.
‘He may still be in possession of a weapon.
Several police cars can also been seen parked on the road. One resident claimed 11 police cars, an armed response unit, 4 ambulances and a fire engine descended on the scene last night
An officer stands next to a police a car outside the scene of a triple murder in Ashlyn Close, Bushey
A police officer walks down the road at the site of a triple murder in Bushey on Wednesday
‘Our enquires will continue over the coming days to ascertain the full circumstances of what happened but I would also like to take this opportunity appeal to anyone who was in the area around Ashlyn Close from around lunchtime on Tuesday until 7pm, and believes they may have seen anything that could assist the investigation, to contact us.
‘This incident will of course be of concern to local residents. Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team will be in the area today so please do speak to them if you need to.’
Local councillors for the area Louise Nicolas, Alan Matthews and Paul Richards said: ‘We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news that three women have lost their lives in a violent incident which took place in the heart of our local community.
‘As North Bushey councillors, we extend our thoughts and condolences to their families and all those affected.
‘We would encourage anyone who has information relevant to the inquiry to contact police.’
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called around 7pm on Tuesday July 9 to a property in Ashlyn Close in Bushey.
‘Three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer vehicle, the Hazardous Area Response Team, the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance and London Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.
‘Sadly, despite the team’s best efforts, three women were pronounced dead at the scene.’
