Woman found dead with disabled daughter, 8, in ‘murder-suicide’

A woman found dead at home along with her ‘severely disabled’ eight-year-old daughter was a ‘loving and devoted mother’, a neighbour has said.

Detectives have said they are not looking for anybody else after the bodies of the woman, 40, and child were found shortly after 10.30am on Monday at a house on South Radford Street, Salford.

They have not been formally identified by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) but a neighbour said they were a mother and daughter who lived alone at the address.

She said the mum was named Martina and the daughter Elani, but she did not know the surname. She also said the mother was half-Polish and half-Italian and had lived at the address for around two years.

The neighbour, who did not want to give her name, said the mum did not work and spent most of her time at home looking after her daughter.

‘I didn’t see that much of her, I was at work all day,’ the neighbour said.

‘All I could say was she was a loving and devoted mother to the little girl.

‘Elani was severely disabled and hugely dependant on her mum. She had a walking frame and she would walk with her mum up and down the street outside their house.

‘A bus would come to take the girl to a special school each day.

‘Martina was quite a closed person.

‘A police van arrived outside the house with lights flashing. I came downstairs to have a look then a policewoman knocked on the door and asked if I had seen my neighbour.

‘Then the fire brigade came and got in at the back of the house, breaking the glass.

‘After that the police came and asked us to go back inside.

‘I last saw her last Friday, putting rubbish in the bin and mowing the lawn.

‘She would talk to most people, but she was very up and down in her moods. Sometimes she would smile and say hello and other times blank you.’

Another neighbour said she had once asked Martina about her child’s father but was told they had ‘nothing to do with him’.

Two more neighbours went door-to-door on the housing estate, a mix of council houses and private rented properties, collecting donations to buy flowers.

One of the women said: ‘I’ve never spoke to the mother or seen the little girl but it is such a shame.

‘People are saying she had no family in England so we are just going round, doing the decent thing to put some flowers down outside the house.’

Flowers had been left outside the property behind a police cordon manned by a single officer.

GMP said all known next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force appealed for information on what they described as a ‘tragic incident’.

A Salford City Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the terribly sad news this morning and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.

‘We’re working closely with GMP and assisting them with their ongoing investigation and our teams will be supporting both local residents and council staff who have no doubt been greatly affected by the events today.’

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