Police ‘not looking for anyone else’ after two found dead in Staffordshire

Police say they are not looking for anyone else after a a woman and a man were found dead at a house in Staffordshire.

A murder investigation was launched after the bodies of Lauren Evans, 22, from Bridgend, south Wales, and Daniel Duffield, 24, a paramedic, from Cannock, were discovered at a property in Hednesford, Cannock, on Tuesday.

Postmortems were concluded on Friday, but establishing the cause of death will be a matter for an inquest in due course.

The force said in a statement: “As we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths, a file is being prepared for the coroner. Specialist officers are continuing to support the families of those involved.”

Evans was a final-year student mental health nurse at Swansea University. A university spokesperson told the BBC: “Lauren was passionate about nursing and showed huge determination and dedication during her time at Swansea University.”

Duffield was a paramedic with West Midlands ambulance service employed at Willenhall Hub. Senior operations manager, Richard Barratt, said Duffield was a well-known member of staff who was always keen to help his colleagues. He featured in an episode of the documentary series 999: On the Frontline that was broadcast in March.

Det Supt Nicki Addison, from the force’s major investigations department, said: “This incident has understandably devastated the families and loved ones of those involved. We’d like to reiterate that the families have asked for their privacy to be respected at this tragic time.”

She added that speculation was hurtful to the families and could hinder the police investigation. “I’d like to thank everyone who has given us information,” she said. “We expect the scene to be released once we’ve finished all of our investigative work and forensic examination.”

Staffordshire police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in relation to the case because of “recent police contact”.