Guests found dead in Essex hotel's swimming pool
Two guests - a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s - staying at an exclusive hotel in Essex have been found dead in a swimming pool.
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Pool death woman was 'lovely girl' who 'did not drink'
The grandmother of a young woman who was found dead in a hotel swimming pool said she was a "lovely girl" who "did not drink alcohol or smoke".
Theresa Farma said shop manager Komba Kpakiwa, who also drowned in the pool at the luxury hotel, had planned the getaway to surprise his student girlfriend.
Speaking from her southeast London home, which she shared with 22-year-old Josephine Newahun Foday, Miss Farma said:
– Grandmother Theresa FarmaShe was a lovely girl, happy and smiley,
She was very quiet, she went to church and did not drink alcohol or smoke. She wanted to be a nurse. To help people.
Pool death hotel staff 'deeply upset' at deaths
– Chris Falcus, manager of Down Hall HotelWe wish to reiterate our condolences to the friends and families of the lady and gentleman concerned.
Both myself and the team at the hotel are deeply upset by what has happened.
The results of the post-mortem examination have concluded that the deaths of the two people were consistent with drowning, which puts an end to inappropriate speculation about our facilities.
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Witnesses saw pool death pair alive 'minutes earlier'
An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the deaths of two people at a luxury country hotel in Essex.
A brief hearing heard that Komba Kpakiwa, 31, from Erith in Kent, and Josephine Newahun Foday, 22, from south London were found floating face down at about 7.30pm on Saturday.
Attempts were made to save them, but they were unsuccessful. Essex Police said that a provisional post-mortem examination found that their deaths were consistent with drowning.
A police spokesman said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious.
Witnesses, including hotel guests, had seen them alive in swimming gear 15 minutes earlier.
Police are focusing on the relationship between the victims as part of their investigation.
Pool death woman was celebrating birthday
A man and a woman found dead in a swimming pool at a hotel have been named.
Komba Kpakiwa, 31, from Erith in Kent, and Josephine Newahun Foday, 22, from south London were discovered in the water at Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath, Essex, on Saturday evening.
An inquest into the deaths heard that Josephine Foday's birthday was the previous day and she was at the hotel to celebrate.
Pair found dead in hotel swimming pool named
A man and a woman found dead in a swimming pool at Down Hall Country House Hotel in Essex have been named at an inquest in Chelmsford as Kpakia Komba, 31, from Erith in Kent, and Josephine Newahun Foday, 22, from London.
Post-mortem: Hotel deaths consistent with drowning
Provisional results of the post mortem examinations on two hotel guests found under water in a hotel swimming pool have shown that their deaths were consistent with drowning.
The man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s has been staying together at the Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath
Essex police are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to their deaths but are treating them as non-suspicious.
The man has been formally identified but the woman has not, and any names will not be released prior to the opening of an inquest hearing, a police statement said.
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Report: Hotel guest thought police were part of game
– Morven Philp, guestThere were police and press at the entrance and we thought it was a fantastically realistic event.
It was only then that the police told us there had been a real incident and two people were dead.
The hotel had left us a voicemail message which we hadn't picked up. They allowed us to stay the night though the murder mystery evening had been cancelled.
Post-mortems to take place for pair found dead in pool
Post-mortem examinations into the deaths of a man and woman who were found dead in the swimming pool of a luxury hotel in Essex on Saturday night will take place today.
The man and woman were described as being in their early 30s and early 20 respectively and have not been identified.
Read: Guests found dead in Essex hotel's swimming pool
Police said on Sunday that they are treating the deaths as "unexplained" but are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
The swimming pool of the four-star hotel was cordoned off as police continued with their investigation.
Guests found dead in Essex hotel's swimming pool
Two guests - a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s - staying at an exclusive hotel in Essex have been found dead in a swimming pool.
Read the full storyHotel manager 'devastated' after death of guests
The manager of Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath, Essex has said staff at the hotel have been left "devastated" following the death of two guests, whose bodies were discovered in a swimming pool.
Hotel manager Chris Falcus said: "We are devastated by this tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those concerned.
"As soon as the alarm was raised, two of our team dived into the pool and did everything they could to try to save them.
"We are co-operating fully with the police investigation."
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