Family Issue Statement After Mother & Daughters Were Found Dead In Bedfordshire

It began with a discovery that stopped a quiet Bedford street in its tracks. On Tuesday, July 7th, officers entered a home in Great Denham and found three bodies, a woman and two children. The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit moved fast. Within hours, a murder investigation was underway.

Police believe the victims are 42 year old Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, and her two daughters, 15 year old Natalie and 5 year old Nala. Formal identification is still pending, but detectives say the signs all point to one family torn apart.

At the center of it is the man they're now urgently searching for. Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma. He also goes by the name Mark, 45 years old, who is a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage. CCTV captured him at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, July 4th, boarding a flight on a British passport. Investigators believe he is now in Zimbabwe.

His message is direct: "We know Mark Tshuma left the country. We are working with national and international agencies. Criminal investigation knows no borders. We will find him." He's also made a public appeal to Tshuma himself: "Mark, unthinkable harm has been caused to those around you. This has left your relatives and friends utterly devastated. Please do the right thing. Hand yourself in to local authorities."

For now, the image released by police is all the public has, a face, a name, and a manhunt that stretches across continents. And behind it, three lives, Zandile, Natalie, and Nala, whose family and community are left trying to make sense of the loss.