Police have found the bodies of a mum and her two young sons after forcing entry into their family home. Nadja De Jager, 47, and her two sons Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven, were found by officers at the property in Belvedere, South East London, last night.
Emergency services, including paramedics, were called to the scene at around 11.50pm following reports of concern for the trio’s welfare, the Mirror reports. Detectives are not actively seeking anyone else in connection with the investigation as neighbours spoke of the devastation in their "close-knit community".
The property remains sealed off by investigators, as the driveway, which has a grey Mitsubishi pick-up truck parked on it, was scattered with children's toys including a mini basketball net and multi-coloured sand toys. Shocked neighbours have spoken of their horror following the tragic incident.
Marion Beazer, who lives opposite the family, said as far as she could tell they were a "normal family". The pensioner, who has lived in the street for 40 years, added: "They never caused any issues in the street. As far as I'm aware they were just a normal family.
"They kept themselves to themselves. The neighbours here really watch out for each other. Seeing the kids' toys out the front tugs on the heartstrings. It's just dreadful."
Marion said she had two police officers in her house going through her CCTV to check for anything unusual.
Another neighbour, Christopher Babutulde, 68, who lives two doors down from the family, said he used to see the mum walking her two young sons to and from school.
He added: "It's really shocking. We're such a close knit community who really care for each other. There's been a big police presence since yesterday. I've had officers knocking on my door."
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "I used to see the grandmother wheeling the two kids around in a wheelchair. And I used to see the family walking up to the park and the post office and would say hi.
"But they kept to themselves really. It's awful. It's just too close to home."
Post-mortem examinations are now due to be carried out to establish the cause of death for the three victims. Their next of kin have been informed.
Detective Inspector Ollie Stride, investigating said: "This is a deeply sad case and we are continuing to establish the circumstances that led to this tragic incident. I would like to thank the local community for their cooperation while our officers go about their enquiries.
"Our thoughts today are very much with the family as they struggle to come to terms with their loss and we ask that their privacy be respected at this extremely difficult time."
They added: "The Met's Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation. Detectives are not actively seeking anyone else in connection with the investigation. A crime scene remains in place."
London Ambulance also attended the scene. A spokesperson said: "We were called at 12.16pm yesterday (9 March) to reports of an incident on Mayfield Road, Belvedere. We sent a medic in a fast response car and two incident response officers to the scene.
"Sadly three people were pronounced dead at the scene."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
