A man ‘covered in blood’ was led away by police after a mother and her two children were brutally knifed to death in a horrifying triple murder.
Police were called to the family home in Petherton Court, Kettering, at 11.15am on Thursday, where they made the grisly discovery.
The woman was declared dead at the scene. Her two children, a girl aged four and boy, six, died shortly after being taken to hospital.
A 52-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at 1.30pm on Thursday. He remains in custody, a spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police confirmed.
One resident, who lives near Petherton Court, claimed to have seen police leading away a suspect ‘covered in blood’ on Thursday.
Police remain at the scene of the property in Petherton Court, Kettering, on Friday where a woman and her two children were stabbed to death on Thursday morning
One man, a 52-year-old, was arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody. Pictured are police outside Petherton Court on Friday
Floral tributes have been left in memory of the mother and her two children, a boy aged six and girl, four, who were killed on Thursday
‘I never knew him, he just moved to the area,’ the person told The Sun. ‘The first time I saw him was when we was being arrested, he was covered in blood.’
Police confirmed last night the victims were a mother and her two children who lived in a flat in Petherton Court.
News of the killings has horrified the Kettering community with some residents leaving floral tributes near to the scene of the attacks.
One read: ‘Words are not enough but thoughts of you will remain in our hearts and minds.’
Speaking at the scene, Kettering Local Policing Area Commander – Superintendent Steve Freeman, of Northamptonshire Police, confirmed the family was living in a ground floor flat.
The man was arrested at around 1.30pm after part of Rockingham Road, which runs next to Petherton Court, was closed to traffic while police, paramedics and two air ambulances, scrambled to the scene.
Forensics teams spent the late morning and afternoon searching the flat on Thursday. Police are still in attendance around the scene this morning.
A Vauxhall Zafira parked outside the flat was also taken away on a flat-bed lorry by police.
Police have insisted that detectives are ‘absolutely determined to get justice’ for the three victims.
One resident who lives opposite the flat where the murders happened said she had left her home and was met with swarms of police – including armed officers – when she returned.
Police have not yet released the identities of the victims. Pictured are officers guarding the scene of the alleged triple murders in Kettering on Friday
A mother and two children, aged four and six, have been killed in Northamptonshire on Thursday with a 52-year-old male suspect arrested on suspicion of three murders. Pictured: An officer guarding the police tape line at the scene on Thursday evening
Speaking at the scene, Kettering Local Policing Area Commander – Superintendent Steve Freeman (pictured), of Northamptonshire Police, confirmed the family was living in a ground floor flat
A forensics officer at the scene of the murders in Petherton Court on Thursday evening
‘We’re all pretty close. It’s such a shock,’ she said.
‘At the time I was looking after my sons dog and he managed to open the doors and ran down the road.
‘When I got back the police and ambulances were here. It’s terrible.
‘There was an helicopter. I had to go down to the centre to get the dog. By the time I was back, there was all this. It all happened in 15 minutes.
‘I thought, “what’s happened?”
She added: ‘There were two armed police I could see. They were all there. I imagine they’d have to with it being a knife or whatever.
‘I thought they were all old people in the flats over there. I might have met the children if they had come over and met the dog at the gate.
‘I mean it’s Christmas. It’s like the lake with the little boys who died.
‘It’s all so sad. It’s a quiet area really. My grandkids are 10 and it hits home.’
A man who works opposite said: ‘Oh it’s so tragic. I saw it on Facebook earlier.
‘A mum and two kids. It’s very sad, very sad.’
Forensics teams (pictured) spent the late morning and afternoon searching the flat on Thursday
Police officers were called to Petherton Court in Kettering (pictured) at 11.15am on Thursday and a 52-year-old man has been arrested after a mother and her two children, aged four and six, were found dead
Another resident, who lives further down the road, said: ‘We just came for a look because we’ve been out all day.
‘We didn’t even realise it happened until we got back.
‘There’s still a lot of police here now.
‘It’s really, really heartbreaking to hear. It’s no way to go for anyone.’
Another woman said: ‘I thought it was full of old people. It’s terrible, isn’t it. Two bl***y kids and a mother.
‘All the school kids walked past the flat earlier as well as they went to church.
‘It’s ridiculous. We never used to see anything around here, nothing at all.
‘Especially kids. How can anyone kill kids. There’s no telling what time it happened, either.
‘How can anybody harm a kid, especially so close to Christmas.’
Superintendent Steve Freeman, said earlier: ‘There are no words to describe how upsetting this incident is but I want to reassure the public that we have a team of detectives working on the case, absolutely determined to get justice for this woman and the two children.
A Neighbourhood Policing Team will be on patrol in the Petherton Court area of Kettering this evening to offer reassurance and answer any questions residents may have. Pictured: Two uniformed officers outside the scene of the murders on Thursday evening
‘The man we have arrested is currently being questioned by detectives in custody however anyone with any information is encouraged to contact us, either by calling 101 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
‘We understand that the local community, and indeed many people across the country, will be shocked by this event.
‘It is a desperately sad incident and I want to be absolutely clear on our unwavering commitment in establishing what has happened here and in seeking justice for this woman and these young children.’
Forensic post-mortem examinations to establish the cause of death will be taking place in the coming days.
