Murder probe mother & girl ‘might have been dead for quite a while’
ARRESTED MAN DUE IN COURT Forensics team search property in Dundee
Police swoop on house in quiet street
A MUM and her two-year-old daughter who are at the centre of a murder probe may have been dead for more than a week, it is feared.
The deaths of Bennylyn Burke, 25, and Jellica have been linked to a house in Dundee where police were yesterday searching for their bodies.
The mum and her child were reported missing from their home in south Gloucestershire at the beginning of this month after last being seen on February 17.
Avon and Somerset Police issued an appeal for help to find her on Wednesday and said she was believed to have travelled north.
On Friday, Police Scotland launched a murder investigation after visiting a property at Dundee’s Troon Avenue.
The house was surrounded by officers yesterday with a white forensic tent on part of it.
A source close to the investigation said: “It’s feared they might have been dead for a quite a while and have come to harm at some point soon after they were last seen.
“Investigations are still at a very early stage.”
A second child reported missing has been traced by police and is being supported.
Police Scotland said a 50-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the two deaths.
He is expected to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court today.
Meanwhile, people in Bennylyn’s home town of Kingswood in Gloucestershire have paid tribute to her.
One person wrote on social media: “That poor family. A sweet young lady and her innocent children. Kingswood has lost an angel.”
And another said: “Absolutely heart-wrenching.
“My thoughts go out to the sibling, family members and friends. Such a cruel world, taken much too soon. Rest in peace, Bennylyn and Jellica.”
A local resident claimed Bennylyn used to live nearby but that she hadn’t seen her for a long time.
“I don’t think that was her last address,” she added.
“I have not seen her since last summer, but I never spoke with her.”
It’s feared they might have come to harm SOURCE ON BENNYLYN AND JELLICA
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