Chadwell Heath deaths: Father found hanging near reservoir after bodies of wife and twin daughters discovered

A father has been found hanging near a reservoir after his wife and twin 13-year-old daughters were discovered dead at their east London home.

The bodies of Shighi Rethishkumar, 37 and her twin daughters Niya and Neha Rethishkumar were found at a house in Grove Road, Chadwell Heath, yesterday afternoon (12 May) at 1.10pm.

Police have confirmed the 45-year-old father that they were searching for in connection with the deaths of his family was discovered hanging at Woodford Reservoir in Walthamstow earlier this morning at 8.17am. The next of kin have been informed and post-mortem examinations are due to take place later today.

A school friend of Niya's said: "She was kind and quiet. They always hung around with each other.

"They never caused any trouble and they were hard working and shy."

Police would not confirm the cause of deaths but said "the female bodies have no signs of visible injuries".

Detective superintendent Kenny McDonald, leading the investigation from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "At this stage we are awaiting the outcome of the post-mortems to confirm cause of death, which will provide further evidence of what has taken place inside the house at Grove Road.

"However, at this stage in our ongoing investigation we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

"We are making extensive enquiries to trace next of kin, who we believe to be outside of the UK."

It is not known how long the bodies were in the property but the last time the family was seen was on Sunday, 10 May.