Four quizzed over mothers stab death

Four people were today being quizzed by British police about the death of a young mother-of-two.

Kerrie Toward, 20, died from stab wounds following an incident in which a large machete could have been used, police said.

North Umbria Police said the victim had been at a house in the Hazelrigg area of Newcastle upon Tyne and a post mortem examination has revealed she died from stab wounds.

Police have recovered one knife from the scene but believe a second weapon, thought to be the machete, could have been hidden or discarded near the house.

Ms Toward, from the Brunswick area of Newcastle, had two children aged one and two.

The youngsters were not with their mother at the time of the incident.

A North Umbria Police spokesman said today: ‘‘Police are investigating the death as an unlawful killing.

‘‘Three men and one woman have been arrested and have been detained for questioning.

‘‘A knife was recovered from the scene but there’s a possibility a second knife or machete-type instrument was abandoned or concealed near the scene in Hazelrigg.’’