Friends of mum found dead beside disabled daughter in murder-suicide say she was 'really struggling'

Friends of a mother found dead beside her disabled daughter at their Salford home say she was 'struggling' and have questioned whether she was being given adequate support.

'Devoted' mother Martina Karos, 40, and her eight-year-old child Eleni Edwards were discovered at a house on South Radford Street yesterday morning (Monday, September 23),

Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation, with detectives treating it as a suspected murder-suicide case, the Manchester Evening News understands.

READ MORE: Heartbreaking Facebook post of mum at centre of murder-suicide as she speaks about disabled daughter's 'joy'

Martina's friends told the M.E.N. Eleni was 'severely disabled'. They said Martina was suffering with mental-ill health and was 'really struggling'.

"Martina was under mental health services [and] social services," one friend said. "She had a package of care... with her child, but was really struggling.

"There's obviously a lot of layers to it. Everybody knew how poorly Martina was. These concerns had been voiced because we were all worried about Martina. Now, obviously, the worst has happened."

Salford council told the M.E.N. Martina and Eleni were provided with a 'range of support services', but did not disclose further details. Deputy mayor John Merry, said: "The fact is, I am sure we have done everything we can."

A town hall statement read: "There is an ongoing investigation being led by Greater Manchester Police that we are fully supporting. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.

"We understand there are friends and local residents who have been greatly affected by what has happened and we urge anyone who needs support, to reach out and seek help. A range of mental health and counselling support is available to access through our Partners in Salford website.

"There were a range of support services being provided to both Eleni and Martina. At this time our staff are now continuing to support the wider community, following yesterday’s terrible news."

Martina penned a heartbreaking post about her daughter being 'back at her happy place' as she took part in a therapy session for children with disabilities back in March.

She shared pictures of her daughter and staff at a facility in Liverpool, writing: "For the last few weeks Eleni has been back at her happy place... the joy on her face says it all. She really loves rebound therapy. When you find a therapy that your child loves and see the benefits of it, the joy of it and the achievement as a parent is priceless."

GMP is continuing its investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley from GMP's Major Incident Team said: "My thoughts, and the thoughts of the entire investigation team remain with the family of the Martina and Eleni. It is such a tragic loss of life, and our main priority is keeping their loved ones updated throughout the investigation.

"A cordon remains in place on Radford Street and will remain in place whilst officers work in the area. We know there will be some disruption to the local community as a result of our scene, but it is so important that we do this, we need to be able to provide their loved ones with the information they need to process this news.

“We thank the public for their patience whilst we investigate and their compassion as flowers can be seen outside the property, showing the amount of support the family have from members of the community.
“We continue to conduct a full and thorough investigation, and at this time we are not actively looking for anyone else in relation to this case.

"We believe that there are no suspicious circumstances and we are working to conclude our investigation and pass a file to the coroner."

One friend told the M.E.N. she was shocked to hear the 'worst had happened' when she heard the news. A neighbour who knew Martina said she was a 'loving' mother. "It's so hard to come to terms with," they added.

One neighbour said he often saw Martina getting Eleni into the car in the mornings, adding that it looked like 'incredibly hard work'. "It's so tragic", another said. "[It's] just so awful that she got to that point."

Martina was believed to have been half-Italian, half-Polish. She and her daughter been living on South Radford Street for several years. Another neighbour said: "All I could say was she was a loving and devoted mother to the little girl. Eleni was severely disabled and hugely dependant on her mum.

"She had a walking frame and she would walk with her mum up and down the street outside their house. A bus would come to take the girl to a special school each day.

"Martina was quite a closed person. A police van arrived outside the house with lights flashing. I came downstairs to have a look then a policewoman knocked on the door and asked if I had seen my neighbour.

"Then the fire brigade came and got in at the back of the house, breaking the glass. After that the police came and asked us to go back inside."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting log 998 of September 23.