Locals ‘shocked’ as deaths of woman and child probed

A WOMAN and child were found dead in a house in Edinburgh yesterday.Lothian and Borders Police said the woman, thought to be in her thirties, and a child aged five were found at the address in Sighthill.

At least six police vehicles remained parked outside the house last night as forensic experts continued to gather evidence about the incident, and police tape was strung across the street where the bodies were found.

Police were maintaining a 24-hour presence and preventing neighbours’ cars from leaving the road after emergency services were called to the scene late yesterday afternoon.

At one point, officers in stab-proof vests were observed getting out of a large black van and entering the property, according to one source.

The discovery was made in the Parkhead area of Sighthill, where neighbours last night expressed disbelief that a young woman and a child could have died in what seemed likely to have been violent circumstances.

Merwyn Isaac, who works at an IT firm, and his partner, Jasmine Jeffries, have lived opposite the site of the deaths for more than a year.

They were baffled that such deaths could have happened so close to what they describe as a “very quiet environment”.

Mr Isaac said: “I’ve never seen the police here before. I noticed them around 7:30pm, when I got home from work and saw they had blocked off the road.

“There are always lots of kids playing on that road, an ice cream van used to go there almost every day.”

Ms Jeffries added: “I didn’t hear anything, even though I had to pick up my child from nursery. It’s quite surprising, as it’s normally a very quiet environment.”

John Collins, the owner of a decorating business, said: “There are always lots of kids playing on the grass around here, I’ve got two myself and I can’t imagine the situation of losing a young kid – mine are a similar age.

“It’s usually quite quiet around here, nothing really happens.”

Mr Collins, who has a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, added: “It’s a shock”.

A police spokesman said: “Police in Edinburgh can confirm that they are making inquiries into the deaths of two people in the Sighthill area of the city.

“Emergency services were called to a house in the Parkhead Grove area late this afternoon, where the bodies of a woman and a young child were found.

“The woman is believed to be aged in her thirties and the child is thought to be around five years old.

“Inquiries are at a very early stage at this time.”