A 74-year-old grandmother has been found dead at the home she shared with her son, who has been arrested on suspicion of her murder, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The body of Angela Biggs, who had undergone heart surgery four months ago, was discovered at the semi-detached property on Tuesday afternoon after police were called.
Her son, 44-year-old Richard Clayton, who had moved in to care for his mother, was later seen being led away by police in handcuffs.
Officers swooped on the house in Upton Park, East London, just after 12.30pm and attempted to resuscitate Mrs Biggs but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother of three – who had at least two grandchildren – had lived at the property for more than 25 years.
She moved in with her second husband but he died a few months later and she lived mostly by herself.
Her son moved in around a year ago when she had serious problems with her heart. She was hospitalised last November and fitted with a pacemaker.
A neighbour and long-term friend told the Daily Mail on Wednesday: ‘I came down the stairs yesterday afternoon and I could see a blue flashing light and I so I looked out the window in the front door.
Pictured are 74-year-old Angela Biggs and her son, Richard Clayton, 44, who has been arrested on suspicion of her murder
The mother-of-three – who had at least two grandchildren – had lived at the property in Upton Park, East London for more than 25 years
‘There was an ambulance parked right outside Angela’s house. I called to my son and he went out and came back and told me that there wasn’t just one ambulance but several and the road was full of police cars.
‘I said to him “I hope Angela is ok” and he went back out again and returned quickly and asked me to go back into the house.
‘I went upstairs and from my bedroom window I could see a policeman sealing off Angela’s house with police tape. There were paramedics going in and out.
‘And then a short time later Richard was led out the house in handcuffs by two officers. He was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and slippers.
‘I couldn’t tell what was going on but found out later that Angela had been found dead inside the house.
‘I called her daughter and she didn’t know what was happening either. She turned up some 45 minutes to an hour later with her two children in the car.’
The neighbour continued: ‘Angela had been really poorly and Richard had been coming to see her a lot. He’d moved back in recently.
‘Angela had been in hospital with heart problems. She was hospitalised last November and I think was kept in for most of December, maybe even Christmas.
‘I didn’t see her until mid-January when I went round to see her after she was out of hospital and it was a shock. She’d lost a lot of weight and looked really frail and tired.
‘She showed me that she had a pacemaker fitted and her voice was barely a whisper. There seemed to be no life in her.
‘Richard was sitting at the table eating some food and I remember I asked him “are you looking after your mum?”
‘Angela quickly answered and said “he’s been so good to me”. She said that he’d been cooking her favourite chickpea dish and had been cleaning for her.
‘I saw him regularly accompany her to the shops and he’d carry all her bags. He seemed a dutiful son, that’s why I’m so surprised that he’s been arrested on suspicion of her murder.
‘It doesn’t make any sense.’
Mrs Biggs, originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, had two sons from her first marriage, Richard and his older brother Peter, who died when he was just 18.
She married a second time to Isaac Biggs and had a daughter with him.
The neighbour added: ‘Angela and I were like sisters, we were really close. She would sweep my path and take my bins out and I’d do the same for her.
‘We’d chat over the garden fence all the time.
‘She was the nicest person you could meet, softly spoken with a lovely manner. In all the years I knew her, I never heard her once raise her voice or speak harshly to someone.
‘She would help you anyway she could. She was the best neighbour and I’ll miss her so much, I’ve been in tears a lot since yesterday.’
Another neighbour said that Mrs Biggs had been at the local Newham University Hospital but transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London, some six miles away.
She said: ‘I went and saw Angela when she was in Newham Hospital, she had been suffering serious issues with her heart for quite some time.
‘A few months later I bumped into her son Richard, who lived with her.’
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 12.36pm to reports of a death at a house in St George’s Square, Upton Park.
Officers who arrived first at the scene attempted to provide first aid but the woman was sadly pronounced dead.
A 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody, the spokesperson said.
Chief Superintendent Dan Card, who leads policing in Newham, said: ‘This is an incredibly sad incident in which a woman has lost her life, and our hearts go out to her family and friends.
‘Officers are continuing to work with care and determination to understand the full circumstances of what happened.
‘A man, believed to be known to the woman, is in custody, and this is being treated as an isolated incident.’
The woman’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
A crime scene remains in place while officers continue to carry out enquiries.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference CAD 3397/17Feb. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.