Former BBC soap star Sian Blake and her two sons were found slain and buried in the garden of their London home, police confirmed Thursday.
Investigators discovered the bodies of 90s-era “EastEnders” actress Blake, 43, Zachary Bilal Kent-Blake, 8, and Amon Ben George Kent-Blake, 4, on Tuesday, according to the Metropolitan Police. They had been missing since Dec. 13.
Police are now searching for Blake’s boyfriend and the boys’ father, Arthur Simpson-Kent, who vanished three days after he was questioned last month, BBC News reported. Simpson-Kent, 48, is believed to have traveled to Ghana.
Forensic investigators began inspecting Blake’s home in the Erith district Monday, but they didn’t find the bodies until they excavated the yard behind the home the following day, according to BBC. An autopsy showed Blake and her sons died from head and neck injuries.
Met Police “continue to appeal for any information that could help us trace Sian’s partner Arthur Simpson-Kent,” said Homicide and Major Crime Command Detective Supt. Paul Monk in a statement.
Blake’s sister Ava told reporters at Scotland Yard in Central London she thinks Simpson-Kent is behind her family members’ deaths. Blake was planning to leave him, her sister said.
“Unfortunately I believe Arthur was responsible,” Blake said, according to The Guardian newspaper. “I want him to face justice and explain why. It’s my two nephews more than anything.”
She continued, “My brother is angry. My cousins are angry. They are angry about Sian, but the boys have devastated us. We have lost a generation. We can never replace them. I want him to be brought back to justice. He’ll have to answer to the courts of this country and to God eventually. I don’t know what is going through his mind.”
The Met Police referred Blake’s case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, officials said Thursday.
“An initial review has highlighted some potential issues regarding the handling and grading of the missing persons investigation,” the Met Police said in a statement.
Blake was ailing from a fatal nervous system condition called a motor neuron disease at the time of her death. She played home-wrecking singer Frankie Pierre in 56 episodes of “EastEnders” between 1996 and 1997. The soap opera focusing on an East London neighborhood has run since 1985.
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