Detectives are looking into a probable murder-suicide at Epsom College after the school’s first female head teacher, her husband, and their young daughter were discovered dead there.
Police in Surrey found the deaths of Emma Pattison, 45, her husband George, 39, and their daughter Lettie, 7, at their residence on the property of a prominent school.
A staff member is said to have called the emergency services after hearing gunshots at the private school, which charges £42,000 a year in tuition.
Mrs. Pattison, the first female head of the famous institution, had just recently taken up her position and was considered to be “enthusiastic” about it.
She recently said that relocating to Epsom College had been a “very major adjustment” and that her husband, whom she married in 2011, had also suddenly moved careers in a podcast produced by students.
We moved into a new home and purchased a puppy. Both my spouse and I just started new jobs. There have been many changes for our family since that wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did, and my kid began a new school.
The head teacher’s residence is just a short distance from the school’s rifle range, but authorities emphasized Wednesday that this was not “part of the crime scene.”
It is recognized that there is no live ammunition on the range, and the weapons are stored in a safe armory. On the grounds of the 19th-century school, Mrs. Pattison’s house, which is flanked by other teachers’ residences, was cordoned off yesterday.
Officers from the forensics unit were spotted entering the home, where the family’s Range Rover and BMW 8 Series were parked on the driveway.
Friends spoke to Mr. Pattison as a “successful” chartered accountant who drove “fast automobiles,” despite the fact that he was described as being “much quieter” than his wife.
The family had just reportedly received £1.5 million for the four-bedroom house they had owned in Caterham, Surrey.
They had resided there when Mrs. Pattison served as the head teacher at Croydon High School, a renowned private school a few miles away.
Former students’ parents praised Mrs. Pattison for being a “excellent head teacher” who “totally altered the community” during her six years at the girls’ school.
According to parent Jamal Hirani, “She knew every single student in the school and everything about them.” She improved the school and did several other things that enhanced the lives of the kids, according to a different parent who wished to remain anonymous.
She was little but formidable, and she knew each student’s name. She was everything you would want in a principal. When the Mail sought friends of the couple and Mr. Pattison’s old business partners, they were too devastated to speak.
Their old Caterham neighbors were having a difficult time processing the catastrophe.
A neighboring lady said, “It is simply dreadful.” Emma used to sprint up the lane, as I used to see. She was also a talented pianist.
George was fairly quiet and kept to himself, so I didn’t see him very much. However, their daughter was ecstatic. She used to play in the yard, and you could hear her asking people questions and generally acting like a contented little child.
Lettie’s former caregiver, Chloe Rathbown, 27, a nursery worker, expressed her sorrow at her passing.
She told The Times, “They were such a nice family, and Lettie was ideal in every aspect.”
The family was photographed only last month for the school’s announcement of her headship by John Wildgoose, who described Lettie as a “little angel” and noted the family’s “obvious closeness” and ambitious future ambitions.
Previous neighbors of the pair remembered Ms. Pattison as a kind presence and expressed horror at the couple’s deaths, calling them “a typical, happy family.”
One person told the Telegraph that she could often be heard playing in the lawn and that she always appeared to be asking them questions and to be in a good mood.
Lettie was described as a “typical, well-reared, adorable young girl” by another local lady who also mentioned how much she loved her dog. It’s just sad.
Bella, the family’s new pet Labrador, is being cared after by relatives, according to Surrey Police.
Yesterday’s chapel service was attended by students from Epsom College. Parents may have been informed by staff that they could shut early this week for day students. The school, which enrolls around 850 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18, was named Independent School of the Year in 2022, and former students Jeremy Vine and Nicholas Witchell of the BBC are among its alumni.
The Epsom College community will come together to digest the news, mourn, and pay our respects to a fantastic head, according to a college spokeswoman.
»After Epsom College head Emma Pattison’s death, police investigate a “murder-suicide.”«