Norwich: Post-mortems to take place after four bodies found

The man who died at the Costessey home, near Norwich, has been named locally as Bartlomiej Kuczynski

Post-mortem examinations are due to take place later on a man and woman found dead along with two girls.

The family was discovered in a house in Costessey, near Norwich, at about 07:15 GMT on Friday.

Norfolk Police has referred itself to the independent watchdog, saying it did not respond to a 999 call from the home at 06:00.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said it was "deeply worrying" and welcomed the referral.

Officers said post-mortems would be held on Sunday to find the cause of the deaths of the man and woman.

The bodies of two young girls, a 36-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, named locally as Bartlomiej Kuczynski, were found in the house on Allan Bedford Crescent.

A heavy police presence remains in Allan Bedford Crescent, Queen's Hills, Costessey, near Norwich

Post-mortems on the two girls will take place on Wednesday.

Both attended local schools and head teachers at Queen's Hill Primary and Taverham High School have encouraged pupils to return to classrooms on Monday.

Dr Bianca Finger-Berry, critical incident specialist lead at Norfolk County Council, said: "Normal routines with opportunities to access additional services can be really helpful.

"We are encouraging children and young people to be back in school tomorrow, where they will be able to receive emotional support from school staff and educational professionals."

Police said a man and children lived at the address and the related visiting woman was not a permanent resident. The force said it was not looking for anyone else following the incident.

Patrols will continue in the area and the road by the home, on the Queen's Hills estate, remains closed while investigations continue.

Det Ch Insp Chris Burgess said: "While I can confirm all four people were found with injuries, we will not be disclosing any further information until these examinations have taken place and the cause of death has been established.

"This is a tragic incident, distressing for all involved and it is clear from the reaction it's caused a lot of shock and upset in the local community."

People left flowers and gathered to pay their respects near a house where four people were found dead

On Saturday the force said it had referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for the second time.

The first referral was over a callout to the same house on 14 December as part of a missing persons inquiry. The force said that particular investigation would now be re-examined.

A second referral was made due to an emergency call being received from the house at 06:00 on Friday, to which officers were not deployed.

Labour MP, Ms Cooper, said it was right that the police had been referred for investigation on the 999 call that was not responded to.

"I do think there is a wider issue of the 999 response to particularly domestic abuse cases," she said.

She said if elected, Labour would "put domestic abuse specialists into 999 control centres" so they had the expertise "to deal with difficult cases".

Timeline of events

• Thursday 14 December 2023 - Police attend the property in Allan Bedford Crescent, Costessey, in relation to a missing person inquiry

• Friday 19 January at about 06:00 - A 999 call is made from the same address but officers do not attend

• Friday at about 07:00 - A concerned member of the public calls the police

• Friday at about 07:15 - Officers arrive at the scene, force their way in and find the four bodies

• Friday - Norfolk Police refers itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) due to the missing persons inquiry

• Saturday morning - Officers continue to patrol the area around the house

• Saturday afternoon -The force announces it has referred itself to the IOPC for a second time due to not attending the 999 call

• Saturday evening - The force says it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident

• Sunday - A port-mortem examination is due to be carried out on the man and woman and on Wednesday one is expected to be carried out on the two girls

Reverend James Pinto from St Helen's and St Edmond's churches in Costessey said it was a close-knit community that had been left in "shock".

"People are finding it hard to come to term with the news, they [the family] were known and people are finding it hard to digest and there's a real sense of shock and bewilderment," he said.

He said his two churches had opened on Saturday to provide people with an opportunity to come together, light a candle, pray, talk and support one another.

Emma Isaac lives on the estate and said what had happened was "absolutely horrible".

"You just wouldn't expect it around here, it's a very quiet estate. There are not words for it, I just can't believe it," she added.