Man Held In Custody Following Double Murder On New Years In Derbyshire Village

A double murder investigation has started after a man and woman were found dead in a home in Derbyshire village.

Helen Hancock, 39, and Martin Griffiths, 48, were found dead of stab wounds at their home in New Zealand Lane, Duffield.

Since then, a 39-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene on suspicion of the double murder, and he is still in police custody.

Neighbors in the quiet street claimed they had been woken by a disturbance at the detached property in the morning, and they later saw police cars and ambulances arriving at the scene.

One of the residents that asked not to be identified stated their neighbor was heard screaming with shouting coming from the house in question at around 3 am.

The neighbor said they heard someone shouting, "They're dead, they're dead, what have you done?"

Another neighbor said they awoke that morning, and the whole street was crawling with police. They welcomed in the New Year, of course, but they did not hear anything until they woke up that morning, and the living room seemed alive with blue lights.

The neighbor added that it was a quiet area, and so everyone is still in shock. It was unnerving that something like that happened close to them.

The day after, specialist forensic teams were seen working inside the home and in the front garden.

A part of the street was also closed off, while a small number of shops were also cordoned off by police officers.

The family of Mrs. Hancock described her as a lovely and beautiful person. Mr. Griffiths was said to be a lovely, husband, father, and son. He had a passion for adventure, running and animals.

Mrs. Hancock was said to be well known in the community as she was helping out in the neighborhood watch and played for a lot of the local sports teams.

Locals also mentioned the couple lived at the property with two children and had been there for many years.

The officers remained at the residence as of Thursday and conducted door-to-door inquiries on the incident.

At this time, they have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killings.

Hayley Barnett from the Derbyshire Police department stated the thoughts of everyone at the Derbyshire Constabulary are with the friends and family of the two victims.

The independent Office for Police Conduct did confirm that it was looking into police contact with Mrs. Hancock before her demise.