Woman Found Murdered In Car

Homicide Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) are appealing for witnesses and information following the murder of a woman in Harlesden on Friday evening.

Police were called at 6:25pm to reports of a woman stabbed in a car at Minet Avenue in North West London.

Officers and the ambulance service arrived to discover the woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was later named as Amanda Farquharson, a 34-year-old mother of two from Wembley. A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as multiple stab wounds.

An incident room has now opened in Hendon under Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

At this early stage it is believed that prior to her death Amanda was in her car, a black Toyota Yaris, in Minet Avenue near the junction with Bramshill Road having a 'heated' argument with a man.

The suspect is described as a black man, approx. 6ft tall with a slim build and a goatee beard. He is believed to have been wearing a dark coloured hooded top, blue/grey jeans and possibly a cream coloured baseball cap with blue writing on it.

DCI Jackie Sebire said: "This is a tragic murder that has deprived two children of their mother, and a family of its daughter and we are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information about the murder to contact us.

"We are keen to hear from anyone who was in the Minet Avenue area Friday evening who may have seen or heard the argument in Amanda's car or may have seen what happened after it."

A 53-year-old man was arrested nearby in connection with the inquiry and later bailed to return pending further inquiries.

Detectives are also investigating the death of a man later that evening in what appears, at this stage, to be non-suspicious circumstances.

Police were called at 7:23pm to reports of a man fallen from Torridon House in Kilburn. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Whilst officers await formal identification they are satisfied that he is Keith Van Cooten, 44, from Lewisham.

The two events are provisionally being linked but inquiries continue and detectives retain an open mind.

(BMcN)