See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy GLEN KEOGH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT and MARK LISTER Published: 13:42 BST, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 13:45 BST, 31 August 2026
A house in Sheffield where seven people were arrested on suspicion of the murder of a newborn baby girl was being rented by a family who ‘abandoned’ the child, neighbours said today.Police remain at the smart end-mews property in the Wincobank area of the city with police tape draped across the house as forensics officers work inside.A South Yorkshire Police dog handler could also be seen searching nearby bins and gardens with a cadaver dog.Detectives are continuing to question the seven arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murder after officers were called to the property shortly before 6am following reports of a concern for the safety of the baby.When they attended, the baby was found and pronounced dead at the scene.Today, neighbours said the two-storey, three-bedroom home was intended to house a maximum of six people, but there were often at least 12 - from young children to middle aged adults of both sexes – on the premises.One nearby resident said the house was rented by a Slovakian family including two teenage girls, a man of about 20 and a boy aged around eleven.But she never saw any female who looked pregnant. A police forensics team could be seen entering the property on Monday as detectives continued to question seven people on suspicion of murder The family moved into the house around eight months ago, with the neighbour saying it now resembled ‘Piccadilly Circus’ owing to the people coming and going.They added that every member of the family had left the house by the time police arrived on Sunday morning, abandoning the tiny body of the infant inside for officers to find.‘There are loads of them in the house, they are always in and out,’ she said.‘The baby died at 10pm, a policeman told me. And the family were all leaving after it happened.‘Police have taken my CCTV, but I have seen it. The eldest son and his girlfriend left about 4am on the Sunday.‘Then the mum and about five others left shortly before 6am. And then the police arrived.’The resident said she later saw the dead child, wrapped in blankets, being carried out of the property at about 1pm.‘Every person has left the house, abandoning the baby,’ she added. It is believed the smart property in the Wincobank area of Sheffield was being rented by a Slovakian familyAnother neighbour said: ‘People were crammed in that house at times.‘We have seen ten or 12 people living and sleeping there at times. It is just a smallish three- bedroom house, so I can’t imagine the sleeping arrangements.’Another neighbour added: 'I only knew the family to say "hello" to. They are Slovakian.'I’m not aware of any of them working, and they would come and go all through the day and night, every day of the week.‘It is dreadful what has happened, that a poor little girl has died. It has really traumatised by daughter.’Detective Chief Inspector Emma Knight, of South Yorkshire Police, said: ‘We are aware news of this will be deeply concerning and I want to reassure our local communities that we have a dedicated team of detectives and officers hard at work to ensure justice is secured for the baby girl at the heart of this investigation. ‘As part of our investigation seven people have been arrested on suspicion of murder.‘All of them remain in police custody at this time. We are working to determine the ages of some of those arrested.’
