Police believe a 22-year-old woman was murdered by her partner in an “incredibly sad case” as they continue to piece together what happened.
An English marketing director who was found dead with his girlfriend in a suspected murder-suicide had a “string of young girlfriends”.
The bodies of Maddie Durdant-Hollamby, 22, and Ben Green, 41, were found by officers at a house in Kettering, Northamptonshire in England shortly before 1pm on Friday after a report of concern for her welfare.
Detectives investigating the case said they are treating the death of marketing executive Ms Durdant-Hollamby as murder.
They added that they are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.
Ms Durdant-Hollamby and Green are believed to have been in a relationship after meeting at work in the marketing department at Alumasc Water Management Solutions.
The 22-year-old shared her time between Green’s place and her family home.
Northamptonshire Police have said there was no known history of domestic abuse and friends of the couple told The Sun they had appeared happy together.
On Sunday, police were still at the property after forensics workers had spent hours there.
It’s believed Green murdered Ms Durdant-Hollamby before killing himself.
Neighbours ‘shocked’ by tragic death
One of Green’s former neighbours, who did not wish to be named, said he had a string of young girlfriends before Maddie, who would visit him at his home.
The woman, who lived next door to Green for 18 months, said: “He would have different women coming over a lot.
“They were similar to her [Ms Durdant-Hollamby]. They would be young, aged between 22 and 30. He had at least three girlfriends. They would last about six months and then another one would appear.”
She said he was “very difficult” to get to know and dubbed him “arrogant”.
She said: “Sometimes I would say ‘Hi’ and he wouldn’t even respond.
“He would say ‘Hi’ to my husband, but not to me. He would look at me as if to say, ‘Why are you talking to me?’
“It’s shocking to find out what happened. It made me feel very sick.”
Another neighbour confirmed seeing young women visit the marketing director at his home.
Adam Rodwell, 30, from Kettering, said: “They were both fairly young, in their early twenties.”
He added: “He wouldn’t say anything unless you approached him first. He was arrogant. It was just his demeanour.”
A distraught friend of the couple told of his pain over the deaths, spending 20 minutes discussing what had happened with police at the scene.
“Ben and Maddie had been together for about two years and were really happy. They’d recently been abroad on holiday and he has just been promoted at work,” he said.
“They had everything going for them and everything to live for.”
‘Our beautiful Maddie is gone’
In a message on Facebook, Ms Durdant-Hollamby’s devastated mum Rachel, 46, paid tribute to her daughter.
She wrote: “These are the hardest words we have ever had to write.
“Our beautiful, beautiful Maddie is gone. She has grown her own set of wings and gone to fly with the angels.
“22 years of loving this amazing girl will never be enough; we thought we had a lifetime ahead of us.
“Please hold your loved ones a little tighter and kiss them a little longer … you never know when it may be your last opportunity.
“Baby girl … you were our world and our lives are not complete without you in it. Heaven is so lucky to have you.”
A family statement issued by police on behalf of Ms Durdant-Hollamby‘s family said: “We are absolutely devastated at the loss of Maddie, our beautiful daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece.
“Our hearts are broken and we cannot begin to imagine life without her. The shock and pain we are feeling is indescribable.
“She was a beautiful person both inside and out, who loved nothing more than spending time with her family and friends.
“Maddie was a kind, caring, thoughtful young woman, who touched the lives of everyone she met.
“A talented dancer, her creative talent continued through school and into her career in marketing.
“Her life has been sadly cut short just as her career was blossoming.
“Our thoughts are with everybody who knew and loved Maddie as much as we did.”
‘Incredibly sad case’: police
Ms Durdant-Hollamby’s friends took to social media to pay a heartfelt tribute to their friend.
One said: “We never thought in a million years that we would be writing this. Our beautiful best friend was tragically taken from us and is now an angel in heaven.
“We spoke just before you left this world and our last words were ‘love you’.
“We are so lucky to [have] had a friend like you and knowing you will always be with us gives us so much comfort.
“We don’t know how to do life without you, we are so broken. You will always be in our hearts Madds and we promise to do right by you.”
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Nicole Main said: “While we await a formal identification of Benjamin, we have taken the step of naming him today with the support of his family.
“We understand he and Maddie had been in a relationship, and are working to establish as much as is possible about the circumstances in which they died.
“This is an incredibly sad case, and we ask that the grief and privacy of both families are respected by the media as they mourn their loved ones.
“They are overwhelmed with sadness and have asked that they be left in peace at this terribly distressing time.”
This story first appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission