Car sought in family murder inquiry

Police say fatal stabbing of four members of the same family at their Northampton home was ‘not random’ A missing hire car could provide the clue to solving the murder of a university lecturer, his wife and two daughters, who were found dead at their home in Northamptonshire. Police said they were urgently looking for a five-door silver Vauxhall Corsa with registration plate BG60 PMO, which is believed to have been at the family’s address on Friday 29 April. The bodies of Jifeng Deng, 46, and Helen Chui, 47, were discovered downstairs in their detached house in Simpson Manor, in Wootton, by police officers on Sunday evening. The bodies of Xing, 18, and Alice, 12, were discovered upstairs. The police said all four had multiple stab wounds and called the attack “not random”. “The car was hired to one of the deceased, but is not at the address and its whereabouts are currently unknown,” the police said, issuing a warning to members of the public not to approach the car or any driver. Northampton police said more than 30 detectives were working on the investigation. A spokesman said: “At this moment in time the motive behind the deaths does not appear to be due to burglary or robbery.” Neighbours became concerned after the family, who are believed to have lived at the house for five years, had not been seen for several days and the curtains were closed. On Monday police were conducting house-to-house inquiries and said they were “liaising with residents and local people to offer reassurance and advice over any safety concerns”. However, the senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Glyn Timmins, said in a press conference he did not believe there was a wider risk to the public. Ding, a senior lecturer in environmental science at Manchester Metropolitan University, was often away for work, while his two daughters attended local schools. One neighbour, Andrew Dixon, who knew the couple as Jeff and Helen, said: “This is suburbia, not the Bronx. You don’t expect to come home to your house one evening and see police swarming everywhere … Jeff was a lecturer at a university – he was quiet but a well-to-do man.” Family friends also paid tribute to the couple’s daughters, who were keen musicians: “They were both such bright girls. It’s very sad.” The police said they were also trying to trace a yellow Fiat 500 which was driven by Xing, also known as Nancy, and which is thought to have been sent for repair at an unknown garage. Knife crime Crime Jo Adetunji guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 3, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.