Bermondsey: Granddaughter killed with relatives had moved in days before attack as suspect in hospital

The youngest victim of a family of four stabbed to death at home in southeast London had moved in just days earlier, it has emerged as a murder suspect remains in hospital.

Grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, her partner Denton Burke, 58, daughter Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, and granddaughter Samantha Drummonds, 27, were all found dead inside the terraced house in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, after officers forced entry at about 1.40am on Monday.

It has since emerged Samantha, the daughter of Tanysha, reportedly told a neighbour she was returning to the family home in Bermondsey for a week while she had some work done to her flat about five miles away in Forest Hill, Lewisham.

It comes as police on Tuesday revealed a 28-year-old man from Lewisham remained under arrest on suspicion of murder in hospital, where he is receiving treatment but in a stable condition.

The suspect, who is thought to have known the victims, was Tasered by armed officers after they descended on the house.

Police confirmed Ms Hill and Mr Burke lived together at the house in Delaford Road, Southwark, while Ms Ofori-Akuffo lived in Kennington, Southwark, and Ms Drummonds lived in Forest Hill in the neighbouring borough of Lewisham.

Ms Hill’s niece Venecia Reid, who visited the scene in the hours after the attack, said her maternal aunt was a mother-of-two from Jamaica who recently underwent cancer treatment.

She said her aunt worked as a housekeeper at nearby Guy’s Hospital for many years and was a “very nice lady” and a Christian.

“She looks over everybody,” she said. “They didn’t deserve this. She is a very lovely lady.”

Her partner Denton worked as a street sweeper in London, according to Ms Reid, while her daughter Tanysha was a district nurse.

Ms Hill’s surviving daughter Tracey Henry was one of those who “raised the concern” with police, according to Ms Reid, and is said to be “absolutely devastated”.

Neighbours told of how they heard “screaming” in the early hours of Monday before armed police descended on the quiet street, which is just a short walk from Millwall FC’s stadium.

One 55-year-old neighbour, who did not want to be named, told The Independent he was woken by the commotion at about 1am.

“I was dozing off,” he said, “I heard some screaming so I opened the window and looked around but I didn’t see anything so I went back to bed, turned the TV up.

“As I was dozing off again, I heard helicopters hovering above which were driving me mad so I got up and saw police cars and the police were lighting the area up like it was a carnival out here.

“I saw all the guys in suits and four ambulances, and I knew it was something serious.”

Tony Birkett, 65, who lives nearby, said he woke to find the street flooded with armed officers.

Speaking to The Independent on his doorstep, he said: “I was asleep and didn’t know anything until my daughter came into our room and said: ‘Do you know there’s armed police down the street?’

“I looked out of the window this whole street was covered in armed police cars – there were about nine of them.”

Xural.com