‘Loving and devoted’ mother found dead with disabled daughter, eight
The woman and child were found dead at their home in Salford, Greater Manchester, on Monday.
A woman found dead at home along with her eight-year-old daughter was a “loving and devoted mother”, a neighbour has said.
Martina Karos, 40, and Eleni Edwards were found dead by emergency services at a property in Salford, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The force believes there were no suspicious circumstances and it is working to conclude its investigation and pass a file to the coroner.
Officers responded to a report of concern for welfare on South Radford Street shortly after 10.30am on Monday.
A neighbour said the mother and daughter lived alone at the address.
She said the mother was half-Polish and half-Italian and had lived at the address for around two years. The PA news agency could not confirm the family surname.
The neighbour, who did not want to give her name, said the mother did not work and spent most of her time at home looking after her daughter.
“I didn’t see that much of her, I was at work all day,” the neighbour said.
“All I could say was she was a loving and devoted mother to the little girl.
“(Eleni) was severely disabled and hugely dependant on her mum. She had a walking frame and she would walk with her mum up and down the street outside their house.
“A bus would come to take the girl to a special school each day.
“Martina was quite a closed person.
“A police van arrived outside the house with lights flashing. I came downstairs to have a look then a policewoman knocked on the door and asked if I had seen my neighbour.
“Then the fire brigade came and got in at the back of the house, breaking the glass.
“After that the police came and asked us to go back inside.
“I last saw her last Friday, putting rubbish in the bin and mowing the lawn.
“She would talk to most people, but she was very up and down in her moods. Sometimes she would smile and say hello and other times blank you.”
Another neighbour said she had once asked Martina about her child’s father but was told they had “nothing to do with him”.
Two more neighbours went door-to-door on the housing estate, a mix of council houses and private rented properties, collecting donations to buy flowers.
One of the women said: “I’ve never spoke to the mother or seen the little girl but it is such a shame.
“People are saying she had no family in England so we are just going round, doing the decent thing to put some flowers down outside the house.”
Flowers had been left outside the property behind a police cordon manned by a single officer.
GMP said all known next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force is appealing for information and Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley, from its Major Incident Team, said: “My thoughts, and the thoughts of the entire investigation team, remain with the family of Martina and Eleni.
“It is such a tragic loss of life, and our main priority is keeping their loved ones updated throughout the investigation.
“A cordon remains in place on Radford Street and will remain in place whilst officers work in the area.
“We know there will be some disruption to the local community as a result of our scene, but it is so important that we do this, we need to be able to provide their loved ones with the information they need to process this news.
“We thank the public for their patience whilst we investigate and their compassion as flowers can be seen outside the property, showing the amount of support the family have from members of the community.
“We continue to conduct a full and thorough investigation, and at this time we are not actively looking for anyone else in relation to this case.
“We believe that there are no suspicious circumstances and we are working to conclude our investigation and pass a file to the coroner.”
A Salford City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the terribly sad news this morning and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.
“We’re working closely with GMP and assisting them with their ongoing investigation and our teams will be supporting both local residents and council staff who have no doubt been greatly affected by the events today.”
Anyone with information on the incident has been asked to call 101, quoting log 998 of September 23.
