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Boys found dead with their mother were strangled

Left to right: Nadja De Jager, 47, and her two sons Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven
Left to right: Nadja De Jager, 47, and her two sons Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven

Two young boys who were found dead with their mother in their south London home had been strangled, an inquest has heard.

The bodies of Nadja de Jager, 47, and her sons Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven, were discovered after police forced entry to their home in Belvedere, south-east London, on March 9.

Post-mortem examinations found that the boys' provisional cause of death was ligature compression to the neck, Croydon Coroner's Court was told on Friday morning.

Their mother's provisional cause of death was given as suspension, a medical term which includes hanging.

An inquest into all three deaths was opened and adjourned during the five-minute hearing.

They were found at the house at about 11.50am after concerns were raised about their welfare. All were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Police investigation ongoing

Detective Inspector Oliver Stride, of the Metropolitan Police's specialist crime command, told the hearing both boys were found in an upstairs bedroom of the property on Mayfield Road.

"Maximus was on the bed while Alexander was lying on the floor next to the bed," he said.

"The provisional cause of death for both of them was given as ligature compression to the neck pending further investigation. Nadja's provisional cause of death was given as suspension."

He added that the boys' father, whose name was not given, identified the boys' bodies.

Sarah Ormond-Walshe, a senior coroner for South London, told the hearing: "There is a police investigation in relation to all three deaths. The proceedings in this case are essentially adjourned."

Nadja is Swedish and was the managing director of a property company, having previously been a chief investment risk officer for the investment management company CBRE Global Investors, according to her LinkedIn profile.

'Loving and caring' boys

Alexander and Maximus were "model pupils" and "each other's best friend", their school said at the time in a tribute.

Belvedere Infant and Junior School added that "they were loving and caring boys who had a real hunger to learn".

Detectives are not actively looking for anybody else - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph
Detectives are not actively looking for anybody else - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph

Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation, the Metropolitan Police said earlier this month, with the probe likely to conclude in six months.

It will then be decided whether a full inquest needs to take place.

Marion Beazer, who lived opposite the family in south-east London, said earlier this month: “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 heart strings. It’s just dreadful.”

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, describing it as "really shocking".