Haunting last posts of head found dead with husband and daughter at school

06 February 2023 , 05:48

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Headmistress Emma Pattison (right), 45, was found dead along with her husband and daughter (Image: Twitter)

The headteacher of Epsom College celebrated winning an award in one of her last posts on social media before she was discovered dead on school grounds along with her family.

Headmistress Emma Pattison, 45, was found with her daughter Lettie, seven, and her husband George, 39, when officers were called to the private school by the South East Coast Ambulance Service at about 1.10am on Sunday morning.

Epsom College described her in a message of condolence as "a wonderful teacher" and a "delightful person".

Ms Pattison became headteacher of the £42,000-a-year educational establishment in Surrey back in September after spending six years in the same position at Croydon High School.

The college - which provides boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 - was named 'Independent School of the Year' one month later.

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Ms Pattison, 45, celebrated an award in her last post on social media (Twitter)

Emma and George Pattison at a school function

Epsom's first-ever female head, her last post on her Twitter account saw her celebrate the school's most recent accolade with a glass of champagne and a friend.

She wrote: "Wow! What an honour. We're thrilled to be Independent School of the Year."

Later she wrote: "It gets better every time I read it! @EpsomCollegeUK is Independent School of the Year 2022! Thank you to all @isotyawards!"

Surrey Police said they are confident the deaths were an isolated incident with no third-party involvement (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)

Ms Pattison had also reacted with joy to news of Epsom being named Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing, tweeting: "This was a category we were delighted to be nominated for as it's at the heart of everything we do @EpsomCollegeUK, so to be able to take this back to Epsom a joy!"

Ms Pattison told a pupil-run podcast last year the family had bought a labrador named Bella to live with them after moving onto school grounds.

An investigation is now under way to establish the circumstances of the deaths. Surrey Police said they are confident it was an isolated incident with no third-party involvement.

Head mistress of Epsom College, Emma Pattison, had a distinguished career (Linkedin)

In a full statement, Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey said: "On behalf of Surrey Police, my team, and I, I first want to express my sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Emma, Lettie and George, as well as to the students and staff of Epsom College, for their tragic loss.

"I want to give my assurance that we will conduct a thorough investigation into what took place last night, and hope to be able to bring some peace in these traumatic circumstances. I would ask that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

The family's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas