Murder inquiry into 3 Holbrook deaths
MURDER detectives were last night searching a house of horrors after the deaths of three people, including a mother and her toddler son, in a quiet village.
The 23-month-old boy was airlifted to hospital after police were called to a cottage yesterday morning but the toddler is thought to have died en route.
A neighbour raised the alarm and armed officers broke down the front door to find the boy’s 38-year-old mother dead, along with a 44-year-old man, believed to be her ex-partner. Police launched a murder inquiry but said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.
Officers dismissed reports that gunshots had been heard.
Following the raid at Holbrook in the Derbyshire Dales, neighbours reported seeing a young child wearing just a nappy being taken away by paramedics.
A man was also seen lying on the grass outside the property.
The boy was flown to the Royal Derby Hospital but later pronounced dead.Locals said the woman, known only as Rachel, lived alone with the child.
Fiona West-Hunt, owner of The Spotted Cow pub where an incident room was set up in the car park, said the village was in “total shock”.
Part of the village was cordoned off as forensics officers combed the area.
Derbyshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Dee Collins said: “We are conducting a detailed inquiry and until we can be sure of what happened, it would be unfair to speculate about the circumstances surrounding these deaths.”