{"id":39098,"date":"2025-10-13T02:11:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T02:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/murder-arrest-over-deaths-in-stafford-of-children-aged-2-and-3\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T02:11:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T02:11:45","slug":"murder-arrest-over-deaths-in-stafford-of-children-aged-2-and-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/murder-arrest-over-deaths-in-stafford-of-children-aged-2-and-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Murder arrest over deaths in Stafford of children aged 2 and 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-c4820dd1-0 cYDsPh\"><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-c4820dd1-11 bxdaHR\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-c4820dd1-7 dbQBRo\">Vanessa Pearce<\/span><span data-testid=\"undefined-role-location\" class=\"sc-c4820dd1-8 evcqcz\">West Midlands<\/span><span class=\"sc-c4820dd1-9 iEEPlu\"> and<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-c4820dd1-7 dbQBRo\">Rebecca Wood<\/span><span data-testid=\"undefined-role-location\" class=\"sc-c4820dd1-8 evcqcz\">in Stafford<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 kSquvq\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 ilsLtA\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/4e29\/live\/c337b680-a761-11f0-af68-63d6dbe14439.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"BBC Corporation Street in Stafford, with trees lining each side of the road. There are cars lining the left hand side of the road, with emergency service vehicles and workers visible on the left hand side. \" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ\"\/><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 lha-dta\">BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 jFVvLh\">Two children were found at a property on Corporation Street, Stafford<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">A girl and boy pronounced dead at a property in Stafford on Sunday morning were aged two and three, police have confirmed amid a murder investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">The youngest, Meraj Ul Zahra, was discovered along with Abdul Momin Alfaateh at a home on Corporation Street at about 07:30 BST.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">Both were injured and unresponsive, Staffordshire Police said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">A 43-year-old woman from the Stafford area, arrested on suspicion of murder, remained in custody, the force added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">The children&#8217;s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">In a statement, the force said the incident had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">An IOPC spokesperson said: &#8220;We were notified by Staffordshire Police of the death of two children in Stafford on Sunday 12 October where there was recent police contact prior to their death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;We understand a referral is being made by the force, which once received, we will assess before deciding whether further action may be required by us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jHorPx\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 ilsLtA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251007-082128-301112d266-web-2.31.2-2\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hagXkB hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b0fe\/live\/98916d60-a782-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A forensic investigation officer wears a white suit that covers their head and feet, with blue gloves. They are standing next to a Staffordshire Police forensic invest van with blue and yellow livery\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 jFVvLh\">Forensic investigation officers were seen on the street<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives,&#8221; said Det Insp Kirsty Oldfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">She added: &#8220;We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">Luke Browne, who lives on the street, said he had seen a forensic van and a police car parked there as he left for work on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s very sad,&#8221; he said, &#8220;children dying is a horror. It&#8217;s quite painful to hear [about] it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">The 61-year-old book shop owner added: &#8220;I&#8217;ve only lived there a year but everybody I&#8217;ve met has been lovely.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">Sebastian Grzesiak, who also lives nearby, said he too was shocked. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s a very quiet and friendly street,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jHorPx\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 ilsLtA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251007-082128-301112d266-web-2.31.2-2\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hagXkB hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/dce8\/live\/cbc9b8a0-a781-11f0-9f5f-19b03c1693c8.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sebastian Grzesiak has a closely shaved head and is wearing a dark waterproof with red embelishments.  \" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 jFVvLh\">Neighbour Sebastian Grzesiak said he had been shocked to learn of the deaths<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">A cordon remains in place at the scene. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community,&#8221; added Det Insp Oldfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;There is no threat to the wider public.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jHorPx\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 ilsLtA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251007-082128-301112d266-web-2.31.2-2\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hagXkB hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3871\/live\/2cfe55d0-a760-11f0-a302-6bcd0f505684.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A yellow and blue Staffordshire Police car is parked across Corporation Street in Staffordshire. An officer can be seen standing next to the vehicle\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 jFVvLh\">Part of Corporation Street remains closed <\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 jdlrvG\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">Officers were called to the home by West Midlands Ambulance Service which attended at 07:26 BST.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">&#8220;Sadly, it quickly became apparent nothing could be done to save [the children] and they were confirmed dead at the scene,&#8221; an ambulance service spokesperson said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 bJoRPJ\">Anyone with information that could help with the investigation is asked to contact Staffordshire Police. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c78n8y3mlxko?at_medium=RSS&#038;at_campaign=rss\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vanessa PearceWest Midlands and Rebecca Woodin Stafford BBC Two children were found at a property on Corporation Street, Stafford A girl and boy pronounced dead at a property in Stafford on Sunday morning were aged two and three, police have confirmed amid a murder investigation. The youngest, Meraj Ul Zahra, was discovered along with Abdul [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[2180,4496,587,779,880,12214],"class_list":["post-39098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-england","tag-aged","tag-arrest","tag-children","tag-deaths","tag-murder","tag-stafford"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39100,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39098\/revisions\/39100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}