Detectives granted extra time to question woman following murders

Detectives have been granted extra time to question a woman following the tragic deaths of two children in Stoke-on-Trent.

At 2.04pm on Sunday (11 June), we were called to a car wash on Campbell Road after a man was stabbed. 

He was not seriously injured and has since been discharged from hospital.

Following the incident, we went to a home on Flax Street and arrested a 49-year-old woman in connection with the stabbing.

Whilst at the address, Ethan John, aged 11, and Elizabeth John, aged 7, were both found unresponsive with significant injuries inside.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of police officers and paramedics, they could not be saved and both died at the scene.

Post Mortems will take place today.

The woman was then further arrested on suspicion of murder and continues to be questioned by detectives in custody today (13 June).

Superintendent Mark Ward, who oversees local policing in Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Our thoughts are very much with the friends and family of these two children who tragically lost their lives on Sunday.

“It’s an incredibly sad case and I know how raw and painful this is for those close to the children, their school friends, and the wider local community.

“We understand that the woman arrested is known to the children and we do not believe there to be any wider threat to the public following this isolated incident.

“Our priority focus is to establish what happened in this tragic case and to continue working alongside our partners to deter serious violence in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.”

We are still keen to speak to anyone with any information which could help with our investigation.

Detectives are particularly interested in any CCTV or dashcam footage from the area of Flax Street and Campbell Road between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Sunday (11 June), or those who were in the area at the time.

Visit the Major Incident Public Portal here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.