A woman who was around eight months pregnant has been stabbed to death in London and her baby is critically ill in hospital.
The Metropolitan Police has opened a murder inquiry following what a senior detective described as a “horrific incident”.
The force said officers were called to reports of a woman in cardiac arrest at an address in Raymead Avenue, Thornton Heath, Croydon, at around 3.30am. On arrival, a 26-year-old pregnant woman was found with stab injuries. She was later named as Kelly Mary Fauvrelle.
She died at the scene, where her baby was also delivered. The newborn remains in hospital in a critical condition, Scotland Yard said on Sunday.
A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in police custody, with the force stating officers “retain an open mind to any motive”. It is understood the man was not arrested at the scene.
Det Chief Insp Mick Norman said: “This is a horrific incident in which a young mother has lost her life and her child is critically ill.
“Our sympathies go out to her devastated family. They are being supported by specially trained officers following this awful event, and I would ask that they are left alone at this time as they come to terms with the enormity of what has happened.
“A large crime scene is in place, and is likely to be in place for some time.
“At the forefront of our inquiries is understanding what exactly has led to these tragic circumstances, and we are doing everything we can to establish the facts.”
Air ambulance
Medics fought to save the mother after an air ambulance, two ambulance crews and two response cars were sent to the scene by the London Ambulance Service.
The force said the woman’s next of kin have been informed and a postmortem would be held in due course.
A neighbour paid tribute to the victim, describing her as “just a nice girl”.
Despite living in close proximity to the scene of the murder and being awake at the time of the woman’s death, the neighbour said she did not hear or see any signs of an attack taking place.
“I came back home between 1am and 2am. I was even talking on the phone in the back yard.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said a call was received at 3.26am on Saturday to reports of an incident on Raymead Avenue, Thornton Heath.
“We took one person to hospital as a priority. Sadly, despite the extensive efforts of medics, another person died at the scene.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter: “Violence against women is endemic in society and devastating murders in the home, like this one, show the scale of the problem we face. My prayers are with this innocent child, and with the mother it has so tragically lost.” - PA