Woman convicted of murdering two young children

A woman has been convicted of murder after her two young children were found dead in their east London home.

Kara Alexander, 47 (23.12.77), of Cornwallis Road, Dagenham was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 21 February.

She will be sentenced on Friday, 11 April.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the family, especially the boys’ father who found them dead when he went to collect them for the weekend after Kara Alexander had failed to return his messages.

“No parent should have to go through such a horrific experience, and then have to listen to the detailed evidence highlighting what led up to these events.

“I would also like to praise those who were first on scene – our colleagues and the paramedics – who also experienced this traumatic event first hand.

“This has been a difficult investigation for everyone involved. This guilty verdict cannot turn back the clock but it does provide the children’s family with some form of resolution.”

Emergency services were called at around 14:00hrs on 16 December 2022, after the bodies of two young children were found by their father in their shared bunkbed inside the house in Dagenham.

Alexander ran from the address following the discovery but was arrested nearby a short time later.

Two-year-old Elijah Thomas and five-year-old Marley Thomas were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Post-mortem examinations established that both boys’ cause of death was interference with the normal mechanics of breathing, through smothering and/or immersion in water.

An investigation was launched, led by detectives from the Specialist Crime Command.

A search of the house and garden found no evidence of forced entry. The curtains were closed and the house was in darkness.

Detectives reviewed footage from local CCTV cameras and doorbells which showed Alexander and the children running a number of errands in the days before 16 December 2022. The last time all three were captured together was on the afternoon of 15 December 2022.

Forensic analysis of Alexander’s phone, which had been found in a filled sink, showed that it had been in regular use up until 16 December but on the day the children were found, no calls were made or messages sent. This led detectives to believe that she had intentionally been avoiding people following their deaths.

Alexander was charged on 19 December 2022 with two counts of murder.