Baby and siblings found dead in Bristol home named by police

A baby and his two siblings who were found dead at a Bristol home have been named by police.

Nine-month-old Mohammed Bash, his brother Fares, seven, and three-year-old sister Joury were discovered inside a property in the Sea Mills area of the city on Sunday.

They were pronounced dead at the scene just after 12.40pm. Police had been called to the property on Blaise Walk by a concerned member of the public.

A 42-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. She remains in custody.

Avon and Somerset Police said post-mortem examinations would be carried out this week to establish how the children died.

A spokesperson said: “Their next of kin are continuing to be supported by specially trained officers and our thoughts remain with them at this incredibly difficult time, as well as everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Forensic post-mortem examinations will be carried out on the children to establish the cause of death and it’s important we don’t give further detail on this until the proper processes have been carried out.

“The post-mortem examinations are not likely to be completed until the middle to the end of this week at the earliest. A 42-year-old woman arrested at the scene remains in hospital due to injuries she’d sustained. Her condition is not life-threatening, and she remains in police custody at this time.

“Uniformed officers from the neighbourhood policing team will continue to be present in the area in the coming days, so residents are able to raise any worries, issues or concerns, and some police cordons will remain in place until our enquiries at the scene conclude.

“We continue to treat this as an isolated incident with no ongoing risk posed to the local community.”

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Members of the Sudanese community gathered at Sea Mills Methodist Church to pay their respects to the children on Monday.

People had travelled from as far as Newport to visit the church, which is around the corner from where the incident took place.

Salwa Bashar, a family friend from Bristol, said: “I have known this family for over six years now. They are part of our community, they’re family friends.

“She and her husband are a very big part of our community, they were just lovely people and were always smiling. She’s very friendly and he’s also really friendly.

“I was shocked (when I heard the news) – I didn’t want to believe it, I didn’t want it to be true. I was, I still am in shock. I was really really sad, I still am very sad.

“The Sudanese community, not just in Bristol but across the UK, are shocked as well. This is something I have never heard of happening before in our community, never in my life.

“It’s beyond unbelievable.”

Ms Bashar said she felt various organisations, including the police, had let down the family, and the community wanted answers over how this happened.

Ahmed Abdelaal, another family friend, said: “We are all shocked. We don’t know why this has happened or what has happened.

“She was an amazing mum, we don’t know what led to this incident.”

Avon and Somerset Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog over prior contact.

A heavy police presence remains in the area, with a cordon still in place next to the house in Blaise Walk. Forensics officers could be seen walking in and out of the property throughout the day.

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A neighbour, who lives opposite the family but who asked not to be named, said: “They were lovely people, they were very friendly, I couldn’t say anything negative about them. It’s a proper community down here and they were a part of it.

“I’m shellshocked, quite honestly, I never expected something this horrible would happen around here. I know these people, it’s stomach-churning.”

David Richards, another neighbour, said he had heard loud banging noises but was unable to see anything when he went out to check.

“The next day we found out all this had happened,” he said. “We have never had this sort of thing down here before, it’s usually a very quiet area. It’s unusual.”

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call 101 and give the reference 5224042788, or contact Avon and Somerset Police through its website.