by Tributes have been paid to three “beautiful” children who were tragically found dead at their home in Bristol.
Brothers Fares Alfil Bash, seven, and 10-month-old Mohamed Alfil Bash have been named locally along with their sister Jory Alfil Bash, three, as the three children found dead in their semi-detached home in northeast of. the city.
A 42-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a discovery in the early hours of Sunday morning. She is being treated in hospital for injuries that are not said to be life-threatening.
Avon and Somerset police were called to the house in Blaise Walk, Sea Mills, after a member of the public called them with concerns for the welfare of those inside.
On Monday morning, at a taped street briefing, chief inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said the children’s deaths had come as a “great shock to the whole community”.
And at Sea Mills Methodist Church, members of the city’s Sudanese community gathered to share the news and remember the children.
Salwa Bashar, 32, lives three miles away in Horfield but the family knew each other well.
The NHS worker said The Independent: “They were very happy children, especially the oldest child who acts like an adult.
“He was a great boy, not just a normal boy, he was great, smart, always trying to help you, always asking if you were okay.
“He’s so young but he’s like an adult and he’s very curious about everything, trying to figure everything out.
“I’m really sad that he’s gone. I said to the mother ‘one day this boy will be something else, he is not going to be a normal boy. He’s going to be a really important person’, and now… I don’t know, I wake up yesterday morning and I’m told he’s gone.”
At the nearby park, Ahmed Egal, 48 years old, is with his son who was friends with Fares. He said: “All the children were so beautiful, I would see them here often and I often spoke to the mother because she spoke Arabic like me.
“I knew the father too – we worked together at the Royal Mail, he seemed like a nice guy too. Everyone in our community is in trouble today.”
Hamida Adam, 39 years old, was outside the church with her child on Monday morning. She knows the mother well and said the family visited a trampoline park called AirHop Bristol during half term at school.
She told The Independent: “She was a perfect mother, a very good carer for her children and she looked after them very well.
“When I close my eyes I see her with her beautiful children. We just want answers to what happened.”
The Independent he understands that the father was not in the house at the time of the incident.
Avon and Somerset Police are making a formal referral to the Independent Office for Policing (IOPC) in relation to the case. An IOPC spokesman said they were made aware of police contact with the family earlier this month.
The house is a semi-detached property situated on a quiet residential street in Sea Mills, located four miles north west of Bristol city centre.
On Monday morning, Sea Mills Primary School and the Sea Mills Community Playgroup were closed as a result of the tragedy.
Chief Insp Hayward-Melen said forensic post-mortem examinations were underway to determine the cause of the three deaths.
Formal identification had not yet been made – but specialist family liaison officers were providing support to the next of kin.
The officer said: “It is important to say that we are treating this as an isolated incident and we do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the general public.
“We have been overwhelmed by the community’s response to this tragedy. In a time of great sadness and disbelief, we saw spontaneous acts of care and support.
“This is what being in a community is all about and we would like to thank all those who continue to offer this important and selfless service.”
She said: “I know people will be eager for answers, but the Major Crime Investigation Team is in the early stages of what will be a very sensitive, complex and thorough investigation, and it will take time to get all the facts find.
“We expect to have to carry out further inquiries at the scene for the rest of the week and will have a number of cordons in place while we do this.”
Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West, responded on social media with his sadness at the incident. He said: “I am deeply saddened by this tragic news from Sea Mills.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the children’s friends and family, and my thanks go to the emergency services who responded. Avon and Somerset Police will remain in the area but are treating this as an isolated incident.”
And local councilor Henry Michallat said: “My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the children at this sad and difficult time. I thank the emergency service personnel who responded.”
