Mother and Daughter Stabbed to Death in West Midlands

LONDON—A mother and a daughter have been stabbed to death near Birmingham in the West Midlands, UK.

Police are hunting for the killer, who attacked the pair in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 27, on a suburban street in Solihull.

The women were aged 22 and 49 and died at the scene.

Police are searching for a male suspect who is said to be known to the victims. Forensic tents have been put up outside the victims’ home.

Detective Inspector Caroline Corfield from West Midlands Police’s homicide team, said in a statement, “What has happened this morning is truly devastating and heart-breaking. Our thoughts go out to the two victims’ family and friends at this traumatic time.

“Tragically there was nothing which could be done to save them and we are working to establish the circumstances behind what happened.

“We are still in the very early stages of our investigation but we believe the offender is known to the victims.

“We are appealing to him come forward as a matter of urgency.”

‘Screaming her head off’

Police are examining CCTV and have cordoned off the area while searches are carried out.

The Daily Mail quoted one neighbor saying that she heard screaming late on Sunday, Aug. 26.

The woman said, “I thought it was foxes screaming. She was absolutely screaming her head off. He wasn’t speaking English, that’s for sure. He shouted something and then ran off.

“There was a lot of screaming and shouting and then I saw the guy run off. About a minute later I saw him leave in a van.”

Another man living near the property told the BBC that he too had heard screaming, but assumed it was people returning from a night out.

He said, “Then police knocked on my door and asked for some towels, so I knew at that point it was serious.

“I’ve got a young family, so I was worried about what was going on.”

Police said they were speaking to people who live nearby and that there would be a “visible presence in the area over the coming days to provide community reassurance.”

Increase in Knife Crime

Knife crime in England and Wales surged by almost a quarter in 2017, according to the latest yearly figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Nearly 40,000 offenses involving a knife were recorded by police in the year ending Dec. 2017, a rise of 22 percent.

According to the data, recorded homicides rose by 9 percent to 653 from 599, year on year.

The ONS warned of a “genuine increase” in violent crime. Offenses were mainly concentrated in London and other large cities, but the majority of police forces across the country also saw a rise.