Named: Woman, 56, who was stabbed to death in crashed Lexus before boy, 18, dies at nearby train tracks
6 January 2024, 23:18 | Updated: 7 January 2024, 09:00
A woman who was stabbed to death in a crashed Lexus has been named as Maya Bracken, 56 - as neighbours described the "horror scene".
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Police launched a murder probe after the woman was stabbed to death in leafy Pangbourne, Berkshire, on Thursday afternoon - shortly before an 18-year-old man died on a railway track nearby.
Both their deaths are thought to be linked.
Maya Bracken, 56, was found dead inside a Lexus in the sleepy rural village of Pangbourne in Berkshire, at about 5.45pm yesterday.
She was treated at the scene but died.
Ms Bracken's seven-bedroom detached house on Flowers Hill is being searched by police.
A friend of Ms Bracken told MailOnline: "Maya was a lovely lady, so kind and generous to people. She doted on all her children. She had twins, a boy and a girl, and another son. She'd do anything for them."
Police were called to the junction of Tidmarsh Road and Flower's Hill at about 5.45pm and found the crashed Lexus.
Half an hour later police were told a man was on the track nearby. He died at the scene.
It is believed their deaths are linked. Nobody else is being looked for over the incident.
Neighbours said the woman had just moved into a £2.5m seven bedroom home in Flower's Hill, which is now being searched, after splitting with her husband.
The area is said to be known as "millionaires' row".
One neighbour told the Mail: "I'd always wave over when I walked past, she is a lovely woman.
"When we saw all the police last night it was like a horror movie scene... they were running around all over the place.
"And then we heard another person had died at the train station. It's shocking for our little quiet village. So unusual."
Another said: "She had been living there a for a few years. She split up from her husband and has a big house."
🚨 Our Major Crime Unit has launched a murder investigation following the death of a woman in Pangbourne yesterday.
— TVP West Berkshire (@TVP_WestBerks) January 5, 2024
The murder has also been linked to the death of a man on the railway track near Pangbourne.
🧵 1/2 pic.twitter.com/SqzBlasUOz
The woman was said to live at the home with her grown-up children.
Another resident said she was "lovely" but "kept herself to herself". Her identity has not been officially confirmed.
The next of kin of the woman and man have been informed.
Thames Valley Police's Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown, who runs the major crime unit, said: "We are in the very early stages of this complex investigation, but we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with either death.
"We are still investigating but are treating the two deaths as linked; we are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances of each. There is no wider threat to the public from these sad and tragic incidents."
