Tragedy as bodies of mother and girl, 4, found

FRIENDS and neighbours of a four-year-old girl found dead at her home and whose mother's body was discovered at the foot of cliffs have spoken of their shock and loss at the deaths.

The body of Cathy Madden, 40, was found on a beach at the foot of Seven Sisters Cliff, Birling Gap, East Sussex, on Saturday afternoon.

She is thought to have fallen from the cliffs at about 2pm. .

Police attempting to trace the owner of a car which was abandoned nearby, visited the family home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

There they discovered the body of Keira Madden in a bedroom of the detached house in a quiet, leafy street.

Outside the house yesterday, flowers and tributes included a note in children's handwriting: "Dear Keira, We are going to miss playing with you. Lots of love from your mates, Rosie and Annie."

Neighbour Steve Hill said: "I only knew them to say hello to in passing. They just seemed like a normal family.

Mr Hill said that Mrs Madden had been involved in a domestic bust-up with husband Steven at the house about two months ago. He said: "There were clothes and things thrown out on to the pavement.

A police spokesman said no-one else was being sought in connection with the deaths.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Sloan, of Sussex Police, said: "This appears to be a tragic series of events. Our thoughts are with the family members at this very difficult time who are being supported by police family liaison officers.

"House-to-house inquiries are being conducted to establish the circumstances leading up to the child's death." He added that a post-mortem examination on the body of Keira to establish an exact cause of death had been due to take place late yesterday.