Police probe double death link

The man was found tied to Beverley Payne's Mercedes

Detectives investigating the murder of a young mother and the death of a man found in a submerged car in a city marina believe the tragedies were linked.

Police said Nicholas Mark Davies, 33, from Gorseinon, near Swansea, south Wales, could have been having a relationship with Beverley Payne, who was stabbed to death at her home on Wednesday afternoon.

Ms Payne, a mother-of-two, from Neath, south Wales, was found at her home hours after Mr Davies was pulled out of the Swansea's Prince of Wales dock in a silver Mercedes sports car.

There may have been a relationship between them. I'm not quite sure at the moment what the nature of that relationship was

Detective Chief Superintendent Wynne Phillips

Speaking to BBC Wales on Thursday, Detective Chief Superintendent Wynne Phillips, head of South Wales CID, said: "I believe now there is a connection between the man in the car at Swansea and Beverley Payne at Neath."

Ms Payne's two children, aged three and 11 months, were in the house when she died.

Their father had been abroad on a business trip and was flying back on Thursday to be with them.

Det Ch Supt Phillips said police were still carrying out inquiries to determine how the two people who died were connected.

'Associates'

"There may have been a relationship between them," he said.

"I'm not quite sure at the moment what the nature of that relationship was.

"He is not her long-term partner - who is due back today - but there is information that they were associates and he possibly visited the house on quite a number of occasions."

Police said there were "unanswered questions" as to why Mr Davies was in the car and described his lifestyle as "a matter of concern."

'Brave lad'

Police praised Ms Payne's three-year-old son, who raised the alarm when a neighbour called at the house.

The boy and his baby sister had spent hours alone with their mother's body.

Mr Phillips said: "The little boy concerned here was remarkable, of that I have no doubt.

"At three years of age to have been able to answer the door, to have told this caller what he did, and to have directed operations at that house at that time, what a brave little lad and what a sad passage in his life."

No forced entry

Ms Payne's devastated partner was returning home to Britain today from a business trip in South America. He will be reunited with the two children, who are staying with relatives.

Mr Phillips said the youngsters were uninjured but had been on their own in the house with their mother's body, adding: "It is hoped they spent only hours in the house, it was certainly not days."

There was no sign of forced entry at the house and the police have not ruled out the possibility that the murderer had simply been let in.

A team of 20 detectives is working on the murder inquiry from an incident room at Port Talbot police station.