BREAKING: Family’s Heartbreaking Tribute as Mum and Children Are Found De-a-d—New Twist After Dad Reportedly Leaves UK
THE family of a mum found dead alongside her two daughters at home has said their deaths have left a “hole in our hearts”, as the kids’ dad flees the UK.
Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were discovered at their £1.3million home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, on Monday.
Nothabo Zandile Tshuma and daughters Nala and Natalie were found dead in the home togetherCredit: PA
Triple murder suspect and Dad-of-two Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma is believed to have fled the countryCredit: PA
Concerns were initially raised for the family after Zandile Tshuma and her daughters had not been seen for several days.
Officers later forced their way into the luxury detached home on Carnoustie Drive.
Police believe the trio were murdered and have identified the suspect as 45-year-old Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, the girls’ father and Mrs Tshuma’s husband.
In an emotional statement outside the home this evening Mrs Tshuma’s cousin Michelle Ncube described how the family “had such high dreams” for the girls, and paid tribute to their mother.
Mrs Tshuma’s cousin Michelle Ncube described how the family ‘had such high dreams’ for the girls
Detectives from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabulary are working on the investigationCredit: PA
She said Mrs Tshuma would be remembered “as the loving, most patient, demure, person, that she was”.
“I think if there’s anything that we remember of her, it’s just how affectionate she was,” she told ITV News.
“She was a naturally private person but she had this warmth and this compassion that really drew you in.
“She was motivated to be a successful black woman,” she said, adding that Mrs Tshuma loved gardening and flowers “and she was a precious flower to us”.
Commenting on the two girls, Ms Ncube said that they “were absolute dreams” who “brought such love joy and light into our lives.”
“You knew you would leave that space feeling a lot lighter and happier,” she said.
“We had such high dreams for them. They had such joy, and brought such happiness.”
Reflecting on the devastation that had been left behind, Ms Ncube admitted that it “didn’t feel real”.
“It absolutely feels surreal. It feels like it’s happening, but not happening to us. It doesn’t feel real at all. It’s unbelievable. Most of us are in a state of shock.
“What we want is for us to remember that behind all of this was a woman and two beautiful girls. It’s left a massive hole in our hearts. Let the police do their jobs.
Investigators are working to track down TshumaCredit: PA
Officers forced their way into the luxury detached home on Carnoustie DriveCredit: PA
“We want people to talk about the person that she was, and the little girls.”
Triple murder suspect Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma is understood to have fled the country in the wake of the tragedy.
CCTV released by cops shows suspect Tshuma – a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage – boarding a plane at Heathrow Airport on Saturday.
Bedfordshire Police believe the 45-year-old flew to Zimbabwe on a British passport.
But Zimbabwe Republic Police say they had not received any communication from either Interpol or the UK authorities, reports the BBC.
Paul Nyathi, spokesperson for the force, said: “We are yet to receive an Interpol red notice; we are still to get that communication.
“Nonetheless, we are already on alert and closely monitoring the situation and ready to arrest him.”
He added that if Tshuma is in the country, he should turn himself in.
Yesterday, officers in the UK made a direct appeal to the triple murder suspect to hand himself in, saying that “unthinkable harm” had been caused to his family.
Detectives from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabulary working on the investigation to track Tshuma down.
The senior IT executive spent more than a decade working for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
He went on to become Head of Development and Support, according to his LinkedIn profile.
It describes him as an “experienced, results oriented and energetic IT leader with a proven delivery record”.
He also claims to have broad expertise in people management, stakeholder engagement and project and programme management.
Tshuma studied Management Information Systems at Solusi University in Zimbabwe.
He later graduated from the University of Plymouth with a BSc (Hons) in Computing Informatics in 2005.
