Neighbor’s horror as husband and wife found dead in apartments as police ‘exclude third parties’

Greater Manchester Police have issued a statement in the early hours after the bodies of a man and woman were found in flats in Manchester, while a neighbor described her horror at finding her friend

Police say they can “rule out any direct physical involvement of third parties” after a man and woman were found dead in neighboring apartments on Saturday night.

A neighbor described her horror to find her friend dead in one of the Manchester flats before police discovered the body of a man less than three hours later at 7.10pm.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a statement in the early hours of Sunday to reassure the public following the deaths in the Princess Road urban area Manchester evening news reports.

Superintendent Mark Kenny said: “The deaths may not be linked but at this time the exact cause of death cannot be determined. However, we can exclude direct physical involvement of third parties.

“I would like to reassure the community that there is no major risk at this time. Detectives are now investigating the circumstances to determine the cause of death and will remain at the scene while the investigation continues.”

Police were first called to a flat in Princess Road around 4.20pm on Saturday afternoon to report a woman had been found dead. A neighbor called the police after finding the woman dead in the house.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the neighbor, who asked not to be named, said she was a friend of the woman. She said the woman was in her 60s and went out to eat “every day”.

However, the neighbor said she was left traumatized after discovering the body when she entered the apartment around 3.15pm. “I ran out of the apartment as fast as I could,” she said.

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She said she sounded the alarm and paramedics and police were soon there. She said the woman’s death left those who lived nearby and who knew her devastated.

“It’s just awful. Everyone knew her, she was part of the community,” she said. “She was sitting in the front of her chair and had a drink. She was out there last night. I can not believe it.”

A few hours after police arrived, GMP was called at around 7.10pm for concern for the well-being of a man in a neighboring flat. According to the police, paramedics were the first to go into the neighboring apartment and found a dead man inside.

The neighbor said local residents had “no idea” how the two died.

“When a private ambulance picked them up, they found the man,” she said. “I never met him, but apparently he lived in the apartment next door. We have no idea what happened, they won’t tell us.”

Firefighters were called to the scene later Saturday night after a reported gas leak and had to evacuate nearby businesses for the safety of residents. A fire engine and paramedics could still be seen in south Manchester well into Saturday night.

Photos from the scene tonight showed a cordon in front of a row of shops with part of the sidewalk blocked off.

A GMP spokesman said: “We were contacted by NWAS at around 4.20pm today regarding a deceased woman at an address in Princess Road, Manchester.

“Officers were present and were contacted further at the address at 7.10pm regarding a welfare concern at a neighboring flat. NWAS first visited the address and unfortunately found a deceased man inside.

“An investigation into both deaths is ongoing and there is a scene. GMFRS participated in a test for a gas leak and nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution to ensure public safety. At this stage there is no risk to the wider community and the investigation is at a very early stage.”

A GMFRS spokesman said: “At 19:52 on Saturday 23 April fire engines from Withington and Salford fire stations attended a suspected gas leak at a flat in Princess Road, Manchester.

“Firefighters deployed gas detectors to check the affected and neighboring properties and assisted colleagues from Greater Manchester Police and the North West Ambulance Service. The crews remain present.”