A 43-year-old woman from Stafford has been detained under the Mental Health Act following the deaths of two young children. She was arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of two-year-old Meraj Ul Zahra and three-year-old Abdul Momin Alfaateh were discovered with injuries inside a Corporation Street home.
Tragic Scene in Stafford Community
Emergency services were called to the property at 7:30am yesterday, but the children were sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Stafford Borough Police confirmed the woman detained is related to the victims, though have not disclosed her exact relationship to the children.
Neighbours are left devastated by the heartbreaking incident. Ben Lowe, who lives just a short distance away and has two children himself, described the mood in the neighbourhood as “really sombre.”
“It’s sad, it’s just really sad. There’s a lot of children round here, it’s a very family-oriented area,” Mr Lowe told PA news agency. “It’s a friendly area, everyone says hello, and I just felt it was important to mark a bit of respect for these kids.”
Community in Mourning
Mr Lowe added: “People are carrying on, taking their kids to school and whatnot, but there is a very melancholy atmosphere. It is really sad and not something you would expect to happen anywhere, really, let alone somewhere where everyone is bringing families up.”
Stafford MP Leigh Ingham expressed her condolences on Facebook, calling the news “absolutely heartbreaking” and urged the public to avoid speculation. She said:
“My heart goes out to the family affected in this case. Thank you, as always, to our tireless emergency services, who I know will be working incredibly hard to gather all the facts.”
Police Investigation Ongoing
A police cordon remains in place at both ends of Corporation Street, with traffic diversions disrupting the area. Officers are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward to aid the ongoing investigation.
The community continues to lay flowers and mourn the tragic loss of little Meraj and Abdul.
