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FAMILY TORN APART
Mum Nadja De Jager, 47, found dead at home with sons aged 7 & 9 in family tragedy as neighbours speak of their horror
A MUM and two young children found dead at home have been named by police as Nadja De Jager and her sons Alexander and Maximus.
The 47-year-old and the boys, nine and seven, were discovered on Mayfield Road in Belvedere, South East London, at 11.50am yesterday.
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The house was quickly sealed off with police tape following the discovery.
One police van and a forensics services vehicle could today be seen outside the 1940s three-bedroomed terraced property.
The driveway, which has a grey Mitsubishi pick-up truck parked on it, is scattered with children’s toys, including a mini basketball net and multi-coloured sand toys.
Two officers were seen leaving the house, which has a "beware of the dog sign" on the front door, with boxes of evidence.
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A trio in hazmat suits also examined the inside of the vehicle, including a handbag on the front passenger seat, two children's car seats in the back and a scooter in the boot.
Shocked neighbours have spoken of their horror following the tragic incident.
Neighbour Katrina Chase, 48, said one of the boys was in her son’s year 5 class.
She said: “My son was really upset when he got home from school.
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"They had an assembly and the headmistress told the kids what had happened. They were devastated.
“They’re so young to know about this kind of thing. I really feel for them. They’ve been told they Don’t have to do homework tonight.”
Marion Beazer, 69, who lives opposite, said as far as she could tell they were a “normal family”.
The pensioner, who has lived in the street 40 years, said: “They never caused any issues in the street.
“As far as I’m aware they were just a normal family. They kept themselves to themselves.
“The neighbours here really watch out for each other.
“Seeing the kids toys out the front tugs on the heart strings. It’s just dreadful.”
Marion said there were two police officers in her house going through her CCTV to check for anything unusual.
'SHOCKING'
Another neighbour, Christopher Babutulde, 68, who lives two doors down from the family, said he used to see the mum walking her sons to and from school.
He added: “It’s really shocking. We’re such a close knit community who really care for each other.
“There’s been a big police presence since yesterday. I’ve had officers knocking on my door.”
A third, Booja Kaur, 42, said: "I’m so shocked. I saw the lady sometimes taking her kids to school."
And a fourth resident, who asked not to be named, said he believes she previously had a partner living at the property but that neighbours had not seen him around for a while.
He said: “My friend over the road said she hadn’t seen the husband for quite a while.
“I used to see the grandmother wheeling the two kids around in a wheelchair.
“And I used to see the family walking up to the park and the post office and would say hi. But they kept to themselves really.
“Its awful. It’s just too close to home.”
Dawn Gardon, 60, who lives down the road, said she’d spotted the mum walking her children to and from school and that they "seemed like a nice family".
“It’s so tragic," she added.
Heartbreaking videos that have emerged since the grim discovery show the brothers playing together at home just months ago.
Footage posted to YouTube in June last year shows the youngsters building a playhouse on decking, which appears to be at the back of their house.
Alex and Max work together to screw the various colourful parts together.
In another clip, shared in April 2021, little Max shows off a magic trick where he makes his name appear on a tray of water.
And two other videos show Alex reading rhyming poems, one called The Bear.
The Met’s Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation but detectives are not actively seeking anyone else in connection with the investigation, the force confirmed.
Detective Inspector Ollie Stride said: “This is a deeply sad case and we are continuing to establish the circumstances that led to this tragic incident.
“I would like to thank the local community for their cooperation while our officers go about their enquiries.
“Our thoughts today are very much with the family as they struggle to come to terms with their loss and we ask that their privacy be respected at this extremely difficult time.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.16pm yesterday (9 March) to reports of an incident on Mayfield Road, Belvedere.
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“We sent a medic in a fast response car and two incident response officers to the scene.
“Sadly three people were pronounced dead at the scene.”
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