Woman held over deaths of two young children detained under mental health laws

A 43-year-old woman who was arrested following the death of two young children has been detained under the Mental Health Act after being assessed by medical professionals, police have said.

Officers from Staffordshire Police arrested the woman on suspicion of murder after being called to a terraced house on Corporation Street, Stafford, at around 7.30am on Sunday by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service.

In a statement issued on Monday, Staffordshire Police said: “Meraj Ul Zahra, aged two, and Abdul Momin Alfaateh, aged three, were both found unresponsive with injuries inside the property.

“Sadly, they were pronounced dead at the scene.

“A 43-year-old woman, from the Stafford area, who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

“We can also confirm that woman detained is related to the victims.”

An extensive cordon remains in place on Corporation Street and a number of officers are still in the area, police said, thanking the local community for their understanding and help.

Anyone with any information that could help the investigation is asked to contact Staffordshire Police by calling 101, or via Live Chat on the force’s website, quoting incident number 147 of October 12.

The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) “as is routine following earlier police contact”.

A bunch of flowers had been left near the police tape at both ends of Corporation Street overnight, while father-of-two Ben Lowe, who lives nearby, visited the scene to add two more bouquets on Monday morning.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Lowe said: “It’s sad, it’s just really sad.

“I live 10 to 15 doors away, I’ve got two children myself.”

Asked how the community was feeling in the wake of the incident, Mr Lowe added: “It’s quite sombre, everyone is really sombre.

“People are carrying on, doing their thing, 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.”

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, the MP for Stafford, Leigh Ingham, said the incident was “absolutely heartbreaking news in our community”.

She added: “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.

“At times like this, I would ask that everyone is careful to avoid speculation online.”