Police to quiz woman suspected of murdering her young children

Detectives in England were today still waiting to question a former City worker suspected of murdering her two young children after recently splitting from her partner.

Fiona Donnison, 43, was held on suspicion of murder after she went to Heathfield police station in East Sussex on Wednesday morning to report “an incident”.

Officers forced entry to her silver Nissan car in Mill Close and found the bodies of three-year-old Harry and two-year-old Elise in two large holdalls in the boot.

Post-mortem examinations are due to take place at Kings College Hospital, London, a spokesman for Sussex Police said.

Their mother, from Surrey but with local connections, was in a stable condition at Eastbourne District General Hospital with “apparent self-harm injuries”.

The Nissan was towed away for analysis on Wednesday night and a cordon was in place around a three-storey detached house with a “sold” sign outside in Sheepsetting Lane, close to where the car was parked.

Police said a house in Surrey had also been cordoned off in connection with their inquiries.

Speaking outside the house in Sheepsetting Lane yesterday, Chief Superintendent Robin Smith said he could not disclose how the children died but that officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

He said the children had lived in Heathfield in the past but had recently moved to Surrey.

Former neighbour Jill Radford, 61, said: “I think there used to be a couple living there until they separated. The house went up for sale some time before Christmas.

“I think there were some young children living there. I could see there were often toys in the front garden.”

Floral tributes were left at the roadside where the car was found, and broken glass could be seen scattered on the tarmac.

One message read: “Sleep tight innocent ones.” A yellow Teletubbies toy and a stuffed dog were also left.

Mr Smith told reporters: “At about 11am a lady came into Heathfield police station clearly suffering from some distress.

“As a result of what she said to us, members of my team were sent to a car. Inside that car, tragically and sadly, they found the bodies of two young children, we believe both under the age of five.”

The inquiry is being led by Sussex Police’s major crime branch but the force has been in contact with officers in Surrey, he said.

“We believe she lives in Surrey but has connections to Heathfield. We believe the children have been residents in Heathfield in the past.”

Family members have been informed, he said.

He added: “It’s a huge tragedy for all involved, and not only for the family - it has a huge impact on the local community.

“An awful lot of effort is going into reassuring the local community.”

Ms Donnison posted a picture of her daughter Elise, taken in July last year, on the Friends Reunited website, with the caption: “My beautiful daughter – I know I’m biased!”

The former Lloyds syndicate worker also has two teenage sons.

Chief Inspector Julia Pope said: “This is a very tragic incident, but I would like to reassure people that it is fully contained and there is no threat to anyone in the area.

“We will move to restore normality and access to Mill Close as quickly as possible but, in the meantime, I have local officers in the area and residents are more than welcome to talk to them if they have any concerns.”

A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We sent an ambulance and two response cars but sadly two young children were pronounced dead at the scene.”

Heathfield and its parish of Waldron has a population of around 11,500 and is surrounded by the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Neighbours said they were shocked to hear of the deaths in their community, which is close-knit and has low crime rates.