Police treating deaths of woman and two children at house in Costessey as murder

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Detectives are treating the deaths of a woman and two children at a house in Costessey, near Norwich, as murder, Norfolk Police has said.

The force said the deaths of Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, Jasmin Kuczynska, 12 and Natasha Kuczynska, eight, are being treated as murder after they were discovered with stab wounds to their necks on Friday.

The death of Bartlomiej Kuczynski, 45, who was also found with a stab wound to his neck, is not being treated as suspicious, and officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killings.

The four bodies were discovered by police at a house in Allan Bedford Crescent after a call from a member of the public on Friday morning.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Burgess, who is leading the investigation, said: “We understand how incredibly shocking this incident is for all involved and for the wider community, and that this latest update adds to the sense of heartbreak.

“Our thoughts are with the family of those found at the property grieving such a traumatic loss.

“We would like to thank the community for their help and will continue to provide reassurance patrols in the area.

“A cordon will remain on at the address whilst we finalise our detailed examination of the scene.”

The incident has been referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct due to a 999 call made from a man at the address earlier on Friday morning, which did not result in the deployment of officers, and over police contact at the address on December 14, relating to a missing person inquiry.

All four were found with injuries and Home Office post-mortem examinations carried out on Sunday established the woman died as a result of stab wounds to the neck while man died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.

Three members of the family lived at the address permanently, while a fourth person was there “non-permanently”, the force said.

“The man and two children lived at the address, but the woman involved was visiting and didn’t live at the property. Next of kin have been informed and we are supporting them,” police said.

Detectives confirmed they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Locals who knew the family told Sky News on Sunday that the incident had come as an “absolute shock” to those who lived in the area.

“[It’s just] absolute shock, absolute shock and devastation,” Nina Crisan told the broadcasters and said she knew one of the children and described her as a “very, very sweet girl”.

“She had very calm and cool energy, as my son would say,” she told Sky News. “She was just a lovely, lovely, lovely kid.”