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Suspect released under investigation after two women found dead in house

The 68-year-old man had previously been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder.

Callum Parke
Tuesday 02 January 2024 16:50 GMT
Police outside the property in Park Lane, Cheadle (Peter Byrne/PA)
Police outside the property in Park Lane, Cheadle (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

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A man suspected of murdering two women in Staffordshire has been released under investigation as police continue their inquiries.

The 68-year-old was arrested after the two women were found “unresponsive with significant injuries” at a house in Park Lane, Cheadle, on Saturday – and pronounced dead at the scene.

Staffordshire Police confirmed on Tuesday that the victims were Karen Wilshaw, 63, and her mother, 91-year-old Joyce Wilshaw, and that post-mortem examinations had taken place.

Police said detectives “are keeping an open mind regarding the circumstances” that led to the incident, and have reiterated their call for anyone in the Park Lane area between 6:15am and 3:15pm on Saturday to come forward.

Residents in Park Lane have described Joyce Wilshaw as a “lovely woman” who lived with her daughter and her daughter’s partner, adding the deaths were “terrible”.

They said that Mrs Wilshaw had lived at the house for many years, previously with her husband, who died a decade ago, before her daughter and her daughter’s partner moved in around eight or nine years ago from the south of England.

Several emergency vehicles and the air ambulance attended the scene on Saturday, with a section of the road still sealed off on Monday.

Several white-suited forensics officers could be seen going in and out of the property, with a silver Volvo on the driveway later removed by police.

The force has created an online portal where people can leave information and any CCTV, smart doorbell or dashcam footage that they may have.

This can be accessed at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/STAFFS23K21-PO1.

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