A former Croydon head teacher and her young daughter were shot dead by her husband before he took his own life, police believe.

Emma Pattison, 45, was found dead with her daughter Lettie, 7, and her husband George Pattison, 39, over the weekend at Epsom College grounds. A firearm found at the scene was registered to George Pattison, police confirmed on February 7.

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

According to the BBC, Emma had made a distressed call to a family member several hours before she was found dead.  

Pattison worked as a head teacher at Croydon High School for six years, before moving to Epsom College in September last year, where the bodies of the family were found.

Croydon High School said in statement on February 6: “Emma was a hugely respected and much-loved Head of Croydon High. She was an energetic compassionate leader, a dedicated teacher and generous insightful colleague and friend. Our deepest condolences are with her family and close friends and all at Epsom College.”

Croydon High School added: “We are taking time to support staff and students at Croydon High School as well as everyone in the GDST family, and their wellbeing will be our priority in the coming days.”

Tributes from those who knew the family have outpoured on social media. One user tweeted: “Condolences to the families. She left an amazing legacy at CHS. She will be missed.”

Another said “I would run into Ms. Pattison almost every day and every single time she greeted me by name. She was a wonderful person and will be missed dearly.”

Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey, Senior Investigating Officer on the case, said: “This is an incredibly traumatic incident, and we are working around the clock to investigate and understand the exact circumstances which led to this point.”