WOMAN HELD AS 3 KIDS FOUND DEAD
Police discovery after welfare call
THREE children were found dead in a home and a woman, believed to be their mother, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The 42-year-old was taken to hospital for reasons which were last night undisclosed and remained in police custody.
The children’s cause of death had not yet been confirmed but Avon and Somerset Police have launched a triple murder investigation.
Officers responded to a “concern for welfare” call from a member of the public and visited the property in the early hours of yesterday, at around 12.40am.
Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said of the events in the Sea Mills area of Bristol: “This is an incredibly tragic and heartbreaking incident. We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the wider community.”
A 42-year-old taxi driver said he had last seen the mother and her three children, who he believed were aged eight, four and less than one, two weeks ago.
He said the family were part of the city’s Sudanese community, adding: “She was happy. Her kids were all happy. She is a very nice person. It is very sad.”
Another neighbour said the woman, named locally as Jasmine, had lived in Bristol since 2017.
Locals said the woman’s husband, also Sudanese, lived at the address but that it was not clear whether he was at home at the time of the tragedy.
One woman, who also remained anonymous, said: “She was lovely, her kids were lovely, they were nice people.” She said she had given Jasmine a pram in October, and she was “so happy” when she had a boy.
Police did not confirm any names or the relationship of the children to the woman. The force added that it had notified the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to prior police contact, as is usual in such cases. Marvin Reeves, the Mayor of Bristol, wrote in a statement: “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe this afternoon’s devastating news from Sea Mills, Bristol.
“My thoughts are with all who knew these three young children.”
We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no further risk
CHIEF INSP VICKS HAYWARDMELEN ON THE THREE DEATHS