Win a £1500 Raymond Weil watch
A mother was being questioned by police on suspicion of murder after her two teenage daughters were found dead at her home yesterday.
The sisters — Jasmine, 13, and Davina, 16 — were discovered at the house in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, shortly after 8am. It is understood that they had been stabbed and were found in their beds.
Davina had been due to sit her first GCSE yesterday.
Their mother, Rekha Kumari-Baker, 39, was arrested and was being questioned by detectives. She is separated from her husband, David Baker, a 42-year-old company director.
The sisters lived separately, Davina with her father and Jasmine with her mother. On the website Bebo they had discussed how much they missed each other and wished that they could live together again.
In her last message to her sister, posted four days ago, Jasmine wrote: “Missing youu [sic] lovee you soo muchh and really want to see you.”
She also hinted at a difficult relationship between mother and daughters, adding: “Momz like why do i alwayz have to take you jasmine — why cant yur dad take you and all this bllaa bllaa bllaa.”
It is believed that a row over the pair’s behaviour may have escalated and resulted in the attack.
On Bebo, Davina detailed how she had been arrested for stealing and fighting, while her younger sister said on her own website how she enjoyed drinking alcohol. Her last posting revealed that she was suffering from a hangover.
On her Bebo page Davina listed her sister as the “person who means the most” to her. She added: “My family mean more more to me than life itself.”
Jasmine described her favourite activities as shopping at Primark and eating the inside of Cadbury’s Creme Eggs. She also enjoyed watching Big Brother and the Eurovision Song Contest.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remained unclear last night, but it is believed that the mother made a telephone call to a friend, understood to be a special constable, who then called an off-duty policeman.
The detached three-bed-room property on an affluent estate in the village near Ely was cordoned off as forensic science teams removed items from the house. They were also examining a silver Volvo estate and a green Renault Laguna outside the house.The curtains and blinds remained shut yesterday and only a shoe box decorated with a floral design and a glitter ball hanging from the ceiling could be seen in one of the upstairs children’s bedrooms. A number of black bin bags had also been left in front of the house.
Detective Superintendent Jeff Hill said that the deaths were a “terrible, tragic situation”. He added: “We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this inquiry. The identity of the girls has not yet been confirmed. We have tracked down the father to the local area.” He said it was hoped that postmortem examinations, to be carried out today, would reveal if a weapon had been used.
Ms Kumari-Baker bought the house in June 2004 and had lived there with Jasmine ever since. Jasmine attended a nearby school while Davina studied at a college in Kent.
Mr Baker, who also lives in Cambridgeshire, has been a director of a number of high-tech companies in the so-called Silicon Fen area of Cambridge, which is home to businesses often started by graduates or academics from Cambridge University. It is understood that Davina had returned to stay at her mother’s home the night before she was killed.
Neighbours were bewildered by the deaths. They said that the family had rarely participated in village life.
Abraham Narimissa, 67, a retired electrician, who lives next door, said: “I tried to chat with the mother but she did not respond properly. I tried to ask her her name but she wouldn’t tell me.
“I saw her yesterday at about 4pm and everything seemed fine. I am so shocked.” A 32-year-old man, who did not want to be named, said: “Nobody knows anything about the family, because they kept themselves to themselves. The woman always had her curtains drawn.
“I would have said that if you asked anyone around here, they would say they know all their neighbours but I don’t think anyone knows them.”
Yesterday afternoon the sisters’ friends posted their memorials to the girls on Bebo. Rosie, one of Davina’s friends, wrote: “Davina i cant belive it! i never imagened id be sayin good bye like this! i cant stop cryin Yu mean the world to me and i wish i could just see you 1 more time 2 see you off!”
Lucy, a friend of Jasmine, wrote: “I’m Going To Miss You So Much . . . You Were Always So Sweet & Lovely To Me . . . And I Can’t Believe This Has Happened To You . . . You Deserved So So Much.”
Ms Kumari-Baker’s daughters were born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Mr Baker and Ms Kumari married in 1998 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, before they moved to Cambridgeshire.
Sisters devoted to each other
A photograph album of the two posted by Davina is entitled My gawjus baybee sister. Photos of the two together are captioned: “Me & My Baybee Gurl 4eva”, “Simply Sistahz”, “My Best GirlFwennnd” and “Me & The Bestest Sister In The Whole World”
Jasmine writes to her sister: “YOUR SOO SP3ACAL TO M3 SIS --B33N THROO ALOT & I KNOW YOUR WILL ALWAYZ B3 TH3R”
In the space on their profiles usually reserved for boyfriends, the pair both chose each other as their “other half”
One picture shows the sisters’ hands clasped together under the caption “will never let go”. Davina wrote underneath: “we sho cheeshy.” Jasmine writes on her profile how she had previously run away from home
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Get ready for the winter sports season, with our resort guides and snow reports
We are backing British business, what is the confidence of the nation and what businesses are succeeding?
Growing demand for energy, oil that is harder to reach and the rise of carbon dioxide emissions. We examine the energy challenge
With rail travel in Europe on the rise, we review the benefits of travelling by train
In this special section we explore new food trends to help improve your dinner party and impress guests
Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
1998
£47,955
12 months for the price of 11 and a 5% discount.
Offer ends 31/11/09
Check your free Experian credit report before applying
Car Insurance
£100,000
Barnardos
UK
PwC’s Consulting practice helps businesses of all shapes and sizes work smarter and grow faster
PwC
£37,000
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
London
Currently £36,285
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
London
Moments from Battersea Park.
For sale with Winkworth
Find out about shared ownership.
See your free Experian credit report beforehand
Includes flights, accommodation with room upgrades, transfers city tours in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
PremierHolidays.co.uk
For your ultimate tailor-made ski holiday, click here
Get covered on your travels with a superb range of policies at great prices. Visit InsureandGo.com
World Class Golf, Spa and preferential Beach Club. Private estate overlooking West Coast
Villas from £275 per night inclusive of Golf
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths | Subscriptions | E-paper
News International associated websites: Globrix Property Search | Milkround
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
Your Comments
Order By: