A murder investigation has been launched after a father and daughter were found dead at a house in a quiet cul-de-sac in the early hours.
Police found Noel and Marie Brown’s bodies inside a home in Deptford, south-east London, after receiving a tip-off from a concerned member of public and bursting through the front door.
Shocked neighbours of pensioner Mr Brown said they were woken by ‘screaming’ before their bodies were found.
Mr Brown was a regular in local bookmakers and officers believe he may have been targeted after landing a big win, with his daughter being killed after attempting to stop the perpetrators.
Police found Noel and Marie Brown’s bodies inside a home in Deptford, south-east London
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, the officer leading the investigation for the Met Police, said: ‘I urgently need the public’s help to establish the last movements of both Noel Brown and Marie Brown in the week before their deaths.
‘Noel, in particular, was well known in the area, and he frequently used local betting shops.
‘I want to hear from anyone who spent time with him or saw him at any point in the past week, especially if he was in the company of people with whom he didn’t normally associate.’
Detectives say the 1980s former council house in Deptford is the home of Mr Brown, while his daughter lived in Southwark.
A post-mortem examination is due to be held to establish the exact cause of death.
Neighbour Collette Lavelle, 46, who has lived on the estate in Deptford for 25 years, said: ‘I heard some screaming at two in the morning.
‘There was just screaming. I shut my bedroom window and went back to bed, because you hear it so often.
‘It’s a regular thing to get up, shut your windows.
‘It’s nothing like they were messing about. It was like proper screaming. It was like a petrified scream.’
She said she could not tell if it was a man or woman’s voice, adding: ‘I am not sure.
‘It was two, three in the morning. I was ready to go back to sleep.’
The area was sealed off today with officers in blue boiler suits at the scene, and a crime scene remains in place at the address and forensic officers are at the property.
Other local residents expressed shock at the discovery and described the area as quiet.
One said: ‘I heard raised voices about 3am to 3.30am. I heard somebody trying to kicking a door in and one or two raised voices.
‘It lasted about 20 minutes. I suppose it could’ve been the police. It’s really shocking that something like this has happened.’
A woman whose home backs onto the estate said: ‘I didn’t realise something was happening.
‘It is quite a nice area. But London is London. It is unfortunate.
‘I was surprised. I always leave my windows open. It is unfortunate, but it won’t put fear in me.’
She added the homes on the estate tended to be one-bedroom council flats.
The woman, who has lived in the area for three years and declined to give a name, said: ‘At first I thought it was some filming, because Deptford is becoming upmarket.
‘It is being gentrified – it’s not a bad thing.’
Another resident, Hassan Sherket, 80, who has lived in Deptford for 35 years, said: ‘I thought it was a murder, because when I went out there everything was taped off.
‘But police didn’t say anything. I never heard anything last night.
‘It is shocking. It could happen to me. I hope they catch them.’
A crime scene remains in place at the address and forensic officers are at the property
Matthew, 35, who would not give his surname and lives nearby, said: ‘I work from home.
‘If it was anything where there was a lot of noise or violence, I would have expected to have heard anything.
‘It is very odd – and all the more worrying. I didn’t hear anything, and I am a pretty light sleeper.
‘I was aware of it from around 8am, when I took the dog out. There were police walking up and down.’
Window cleaner David Gunstone, 44, said: ‘It’s quite a mixed area, it’s relatively calm. Deptford is a good area, I have lived here for 13 years and never had any problems.
‘Murder – you wouldn’t expect that around here. Obviously there’s some rough bits, but nothing like that.’
Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are investigating, but no arrests have yet been made.