A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two children, aged two and three, were found dead inside a house on Corporation Street in Stafford on Sunday morning, police said. The youngsters have been named by officers as two-year-old Meraj Ul Zahra and three-year-old Abdul Momin Alfaateh.
West Midlands Ambulance Service and Staffordshire Police were called to the property at about 7:30am. On arrival, emergency crews found the two children unresponsive with injuries; both were later pronounced dead at the scene. A woman from the Stafford area who was arrested on Sunday remains in police custody while inquiries continue.
Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said officers were “working hard to understand more about what happened” and urged the public not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing. Forensic teams have been conducting examinations at the home and a police cordon remains in place as detectives carry out door-to-door enquiries. Members of the public have been asked to contact police with any information or footage that might assist the inquiry.
Staffordshire Police confirmed the children’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. The force also said the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because there was recent police contact prior to the children’s deaths; the IOPC said it would assess the referral once it is received.
This is an active and fast-moving investigation. Police said there is no indication of a wider threat to the public at this stage and asked anyone with information to contact Staffordshire Police quoting incident number 147 of October 12, or to report anonymously to Crimestoppers.
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