A paramedic who featured in a Channel 4 documentary on frontline workers has been found dead in a house, alongside the body of a woman believed to be from Wales. The discovery has prompted a murder investigation.
The bodies were found at a home in Hednesford, Staffordshire, on Tuesday. Police suspect the deceased to be 24-year-old Daniel Duffield from Cannock and 22-year-old Lauren Evans from Bridgend, though formal identification has yet to take place. The West Midlands Ambulance Service has confirmed that Mr Duffield was employed with them and had appeared on Channel 4’s “999: On the Frontline.”
Richard Barratt, Senior Operations Manager at the ambulance service, said: “Daniel Duffield was a well-known member of staff and always keen to help and support his colleagues. His death at such a young age is a great tragedy. I hope Daniel’s family can take some comfort from the hundreds of patients he helped through his time as a paramedic. Our thoughts go out to the families of both of those found at the scene.” He added that specialist support is being provided to ambulance service staff as they cope with the loss of Mr Duffield.
Staffordshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following the launch of the murder inquiry. The force made the referral to the watchdog due to “recent police contact” related to the deaths at a property in Alpine Drive, Hednesford, Cannock.
Ambulance service staff discovered the bodies around 12:30 pm on Tuesday. Detective Superintendent Nicki Addison, of Staffordshire’s major investigations department, expressed her condolences, stating: “My thoughts are very much with the families at this time. I know this news has understandably shaken the local community. I’d like to reassure everyone that we’ve got a specialist team of officers working extensive hours to fully investigate what happened and support the families of those affected. We completely understand that lots of people want to know more about what happened, but we’d like to reiterate that speculation isn’t helpful to families at this distressing time. I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward with information and ask that people continue to get in touch if they’ve got any information that can help us.”
