‘Father and son’ are arrested over knife murder of woman ‘found nearly BEHEADED in pool of blood’ in large detached home in leafy Surrey town
- Police scrambled to woman’s home in residential street in Woking, Surrey
- She was discovered in a pool of blood and a knife was also found at scene
- Two men, believed to be known to the woman, are being held by police
The husband and son of an elderly woman almost decapitated were held on suspicion of her murder, neighbours claimed today.
Detectives are questioning the two men, named locally in Woking as Colin Tarver, 83, and Phillip Tarver, 46, over the death of Angela Tarver, who is believed to be in her 70s.
Surrey Police say they held two men at the suburban property at lunchtime yesterday and recovered a knife.
Detectives are questioning the two men, named locally in Woking as Colin Tarver, 83, and Phillip Tarver, 46, over the death of Angela Tarver, who is believed to be in her 70s
It remains sealed off and under police guard today as forensics teams gather evidence from the crime scene inside.
Neighbours told how the couple’s adult son Philip lived with his parents at their £600,000 home having moved back recently.
He was seen going to and from the property, a two-storey detached house with a double garage and driveway, each day in his green coloured car which is sitting on the drive.
His elderly father Mr Tarver was regularly seen cycling around the neighbourhood and would occasionally been seen assisting Angela, who it was said had suffered a medical event several years ago, to walk down the cul-de-sac where they lived.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said today: ‘I used to get Christmas cards from them, but they were very quiet. They didn’t mix much.
Police officers stand at the front of a house in Woking where the body of a woman was found
Another resident said: ‘We used to have street parties for the close and they were the only ones who never took part. I don’t want to say anything negative in the circumstances, they had their own issues to deal with.’
Today the large detached house, with solar panels in the roof, remains sealed off by police as forensic science specialists combed the rooms for evidence.
Police community support officers and regular informed officers maintained a cordon around the five houses at the end of the close and Portaloos had been delivered and installed.
Residents trying to leave their homes were allowed to go to and from the police tape but records were being taken about who they were and where they were going. Two squad cars remained at the scene and other police vehicles were patrolling the area and asking for people to identify themselves.
A green car, believed to belong to Phillip Tarver, remained on the drive outside the home which was the scene of the suspected murder.
Today the large detached house, with solar panels in the roof, remains sealed off by police as forensic science specialists combed the rooms for evidence
The woman’s body was left at the scene for a pathologist to examine and was expected to be removed later to the mortuary at St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, where a Home Office pathologist was expected to carry out a post mortem examination.
A spokesman for Surrey Police confirmed that two men ‘known to the victim’ had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
‘Officers were called to an address in Julian Close, Woking at 12.21pm following a concern for safety of a woman. On arrival a woman was found dead inside the property. Two men, known to the deceased, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in custody. A knife was recovered from the scene.’
Inspector Andy Greaves, from Woking Police, said: ‘This afternoon a number of resources attended a quiet area of Woking following a serious incident within a home address.
‘This investigation is in its early stages and it would be wrong to speculate on exactly what’s happened, however what I am able to share is that this is an isolated incident which poses no risk to the wider public following the arrests made at the scene.’