Ugley deaths: Pair found dead in murder probe were mother and son, Essex Police confirm

• Russell Hookey reporting from the village of Ugley, Essex.

A woman and man found dead in a small village were mother and son, police have confirmed.

Essex Police said it received a call at 9.50pm on Tuesday reporting that two people had been seriously injured at an address in Ugley, near Bishop’s Stortford.

Officers attended the address in Cambridge Road and found a woman in her 50s and a man in his 20s who were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Police confirmed they were a mother and son, and said a 63-year-old man from Ugley had been arrested on suspicion of their murders and was in custody.

A marked police car was parked on the drive of a property, screened by a large hedge and set back from the busy road, on Thursday with a police community support officer (PCSO) on duty.

Two cars and a red van remained on the drive, with a mini digger also parked near to the house.

People have begun to lay flowers in front of the house in the village.

At the scene - Russell Hookey, ITV News Anglia

The house where the two people were found injured on Tuesday night is an isolated one, around 200 yards from any other properties.

It is set back from busy Cambridge Road, up a driveway and behind a sizeable front garden, where a children’s ride-on toy and slide are visible.

Neighbours said the family at the house kept themselves to themselves, which they said was rare in the village. They also reported hearing dogs at the property barking loudly on Wednesday evening.

Police forensics officers have been at the scene throughout Thursday morning, and appear to be focusing their attentions on one of the home’s front rooms.

At lunchtime today we saw a mother and son arrive to lay flowers. They were visibly very upset.

She told me she was a close friend of the woman who’d died and said she was a lovely woman - she believes she might have been the last person to see her alive on Tuesday morning.

Essex Police have yet to release the names of the victims thought we do know they’d lived at the property for a number of years.

Neighbour Linda Cooling said that the family at the house “kept themselves to themselves” and had various animals.

“I know they had dogs and they were very well looked after,” said the 57-year-old, who works in sales. “I know they used to have chickens.”

A second neighbour, who asked not to be named, said news of the deaths was “shocking”.

She said the family kept dogs and “large-breed rabbits”, and that she used to buy eggs from them.

“She said ‘we’ve got an excess of chicken eggs, would you be prepared to buy any from me?,” the neighbour said. “She was a nice lady, friendly and that.”

Det Insp Lydia George said: “My thoughts are with the loved ones of the two people who were killed in Ugley.

“This will be an unimaginably difficult time for them and they will be supported by specialist officers.

“I know this incident will cause concern within the local community but I want to reassure them that we have a team of experienced detectives and staff investigating.

“At this stage we do not believe this incident poses a risk to the wider public and we’re not looking for anyone else in connection with it.”

Anyone with information should contact the force on 101 quoting incident 1271 of 28 May.

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