THIS is 30-year-old mother-of-two murder victim Marie Stewart.
She was found in a garage, stabbed and beaten to death.
Miss Stewart, who had a three-year-old daughter and a 15-month-old son, was found dead in the garage at a house at Perseverance Place, Holmfirth, on Sunday.
A post-mortem yesterday revealed she had died from multiple stab wounds and blows from a blunt object.
Miss Stewart had not been seen for seven weeks and police were preparing to launch a missing person’s appeal.
Concerned relatives had contacted police to say they had not seen Miss Stewart for several weeks.
But when detectives arrived at the house where she had been living with her partner and their children, they found the body in the integral garage.
They immediately handed over the investigation to the West Yorkshire Homicide and Major Enquiry team, who launched a murder hunt.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of her murder and was yesterday being held in police custody after magistrates granted officers extra time to question him.
A 29-year-old woman, who was also arrested on Sunday, has been released without charge.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “The results of a post-mortem carried out on Monday night have revealed that cause of death was multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.
“Also, detectives have been granted a magistrates extension to continue questioning the 28-year old man arrested in connection with Marie’s death.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
Police remained at the house yesterday and the garage was still concealed behind a blue and white police tent. Scenes of crimes officers were working at the house.
Ms Stewart and her partner had lived in Perseverance Place for about one year after moving from Hade Edge.
It is thought Ms Stewart had left her partner and father of her children in December.
The children had continued to live with their father after the alleged separation.
Miss Stewart used to live in Wood Lane, Newsome.
In 2005 she had been planing to marry but the ceremony never took place.
Neighbours spoke of their shock at a violent death in a quiet, respectable area, just off the main Woodhead Road through Holmfirth.
One woman living close by said: “When she went missing I didn’t think anything of it.
“She didn’t socialise with anyone.
“You never really saw her much with the kids at all. She seemed a bit withdrawn.
“It’s a lovely area. We moved here because it’s quiet.
“You don’t expect it in a village like Holmfirth. It’s so out of character for people who live here.”
Another neighbour, Stephanie Cluness, 43, said: “I didn’t see her out and about, only in the car.
“It’s a lovely area round here. It’s a real shock. “We live in a bubble here. There’s not much trouble. Everyone seems to get on.
“I could have sworn I saw her back in the car in January. She said she had left him at Christmas. She said she had ‘gone to live the dream’.”
A 28-YEAR-OLD man arrested on suspicion of murder remained in custody last night.
He was at his Holmfirth house after the body of Marie Stewart was found in the garage, police said yesterday.
The man, named locally as Andrew Lindo, is believed to have been Ms Stewart’s partner.
Mr Lindo, a music teacher, is thought to have two children with Ms Stewart and the youngsters lived with him at the house in Perseverance Place after Ms Stewart’s disappearance.
Neighbours said Mr Lindo, believed to have originally come from County Durham, played the keyboard and sang in the now defunct Victoria pub, at Woodhead Road, Holmfirth, a few hundred yards from the house.
A MySpace profile has a recording of him singing the popular song Mr Bojangles.
A Facebook profile shows he is a fan of blues guitarists BB King, Albert King and Kenny Wayne Sheppard.
Mr Lindo played for Grange Moor FC and scored against Heywood Sports in 2004.
A former work colleague, who did not want to be named, described Mr Lindo as ‘a genuine guy’ and a ‘decent teacher’.
A neighbour said Mr Lindo was a ‘nice, friendly guy’.
She said: “He was a very friendly, family-orientated guy.
“The last couple of weeks he’s been out with the kids.
“He was such a nice, friendly guy.
“I saw him on Friday morning and we were joking about the weather.
“I think he had a new girlfriend, but I never saw her.
“He always went out with a suit.
“He was well spoken and turned out. The kids seemed pretty happy with him.”
Another neighbour added: “He played keyboard in a band. I saw him in the Victoria.
“He was a nice gentleman. He helped push the car out of the snow. He was absolutely lovely. His children were beautiful and well kept.
“His children seemed happy and very well dressed. On Thursday he was pushing the buggy without a care in the world.”
Police yesterday declined to identify the 28-year-old man in custody, but confirmed they have been granted a magistrate’s extension to question him further about the death of Miss Stewart.
