UK school headmistress dead in possible murder-suicide: cops

A headmistress of a tony UK college has been found dead along with her husband and young daughter in what authorities are investigating as a murder-suicide.

Emma Pattison, the headteacher at Epsom College in Surrey, was discovered dead early Sunday at her on-campus home alongside her husband, George, and their 7-year-old daughter, Lettie, the Guardian reported.

Pattison made an anxious phone call to a relative late Saturday. By the time the relative arrived at the home, all three members of the family were deceased, according to the BBC.

Police confirmed that a rifle licensed to George was found at the scene. Though authorities declined to officially comment on the causes of death, detectives are examining the possibility that George, 39, shot his wife and daughter and then killed himself, the Guardian said

“An investigation is being carried out to establish the full chronology and circumstances of the incident,” Surrey police said Sunday.

“At this stage, officers are confident there is no third-party involvement and there is no wider threat or risk to the community.”

Law enforcement also said George had been in contact with police in the days before his death to confirm a change of address on his gun license.

Emma Pattison, 45, was appointed the first female head of Epsom College, a posh, coeducational independent school, in September 2022. 

She previously spent six years as a headteacher at Croydon High School, a girls’ school in Greater London.

In a statement shared on Twitter Monday, Epsom College called the Pattisons’ deaths “shocking and tragic.”

“The College community will be coming together today to process the news, grieve and pay our respects to a wonderful Head,” the statement continued.