Deaths of mother and disabled eight year-old daughter treated as murder-suicide

A neighbour said the young girl was “severely disabled” and was reliant upon her mother

Police outside a house in Salford where an eight-year-old girl and a woman have been found dead (Pat Hurst/PA Wire)

The bodies of a woman found dead at her home alongside her disabled eight-year-old daughter is being treated as a murder-suicide, The Independent understands.

Police have said they are not actively looking for anyone else in connection with their deaths, with neighbours describing the mother as “loving and devoted”.

They were discovered by police officers shortly after 10.30am on Monday at a house on South Radford Street in Salford, after responding to reports of concern for their welfare.

They have not been formally identified by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) but a neighbour named them as Martina and her daughter Elani, and said they had been living at the address for around two years.

The neighbour, who did not want to give her name, said the mother did not work and spent most of her time at home looking after her daughter.

The mother, named locally as Martina, has been described as ‘loving and devoted’ by a neighbour (Pat Hurst/PA Wire)

“I didn’t see that much of her, I was at work all day,” the neighbour said. “All I could say was she was a loving and devoted mother to the little girl.

“Elani was severely disabled and hugely dependant on her mum. She had a walking frame and she would walk with her mum up and down the street outside their house.

“A bus would come to take the girl to a special school each day.”

The neighbour added that the mother, Martina, was “quite a closed person” and was last seen on Friday putting rubbish in the bin and mowing the lawn.

“She would talk to most people, but she was very up and down in her moods. Sometimes she would smile and say hello and other times blank you,” she said.

Recalling the moment police discovered their bodies, she said: “A police van arrived outside the house with lights flashing. I came downstairs to have a look then a policewoman knocked on the door and asked if I had seen my neighbour.

“Then the fire brigade came and got in at the back of the house, breaking the glass.

“After that the police came and asked us to go back inside.”

Another neighbour said she had once asked Martina about her child’s father but was told they had “nothing to do with him”.

Two more neighbours went door-to-door on the housing estate, a mix of council houses and private rented properties, collecting donations to buy flowers.

One of the women said: “I’ve never spoke to the mother or seen the little girl but it is such a shame.

“People are saying she had no family in England so we are just going round, doing the decent thing to put some flowers down outside the house.”

Flowers had been left outside the property behind a police cordon manned by a single officer.

GMP said all known next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force appealed for information on what they described as a “tragic incident”.

A Salford City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the terribly sad news this morning and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.

“We’re working closely with GMP and assisting them with their ongoing investigation and our teams will be supporting both local residents and council staff who have no doubt been greatly affected by the events today.”

Anyone with information on the incident has been asked to call 101, quoting log 998 of September 23.

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