Mum-of-two, 53, stabbed to death at home in Doncaster as man, 52, arrested

A 53-YEAR-OLD mother who was stabbed to death at her home in Doncaster has been linked to the arrest of a 52-year-old man by police.

Kelli Bothwell was found dead on Saturday night in a cottage the mother-of-two shared with her partner.

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident in the South Yorkshire village of Sprotbrough.

The entire village, which is said to have inspired Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel Ivanhoe, has been locked down in a remote corner of the community following the tragedy.

Officers were called to the scene around 8pm after reports of an “argument” at the home.

Then, tragically, they discovered the woman’s lifeless body.

Local residents said what happened is still a mystery and no one knows if the two people involved are a couple or if they are from the area.

It is understood that they have only recently moved in, having recently modernized the cottages and letting them to new tenants.

Three terraced houses remained within the police cordon as of yesterday.

All three houses at the scene were rental properties that locals say changed hands regularly.

The crime scene was guarded by three uniformed officers while two investigators continued to investigate the homes.

The two cottages just outside the cordon are currently vacant as they have recently been sold.

Nicky Kenyon, the only resident of the row of townhouses who lives outside the cordon, said: “It’s a leafy village that was my family home.

“I was walking the dogs when it happened. We have no idea who the victim was. I think these are all rental properties.

“Everything was cordoned off on Saturday night – the whole village. There was nothing in the village except police cars.

“When I got back with the dogs, I couldn’t drive down the street to my house.

“A young couple moved in next to me just a few weeks ago. In one of the others is a young man. But I didn’t know who was in the house where it happened.

“Everything has been closed off since Saturday. I told the police I was outside and hadn’t heard anything until I came back to find everything cordoned off.

“My son called and said something had happened in the village. But I have no idea if it happened on the street or in a house.

“Since then the police have been in front of the house and the forensics team is here too.”

Another local woman, who has lived in the village all her life, said: “I have absolutely no idea what happened and I live just around the corner. I didn’t see anything or anything.

“Nobody knows who it was. It’s just a very sad story. All we know is that there was a knife attack in the area that killed a woman.

“I think it happened in one of the cottages. We’re assuming it’s domestic. The house could not be identified because the caution tape is everywhere.

“We have heard that the police have been called to a property. The wine bar is just around the corner so you can’t see anything from there. It’s very scary.

“It happened at 8 a.m. on Saturday. We were in town for dinner. We got to the corner and saw all the police cars.

“It was completely taped up and we didn’t hang around because we wanted to leave. I later heard that the woman who passed away was about the same age as me, which is really scary.”

A local pensioner added: “Why did he do that? He must have killed her immediately. It is frightening. It’s crazy.

“It’s usually that quiet. Even if they come out of the pub at night there is no noise. It’s terrible. This is something you don’t expect in the village. I can not believe it.

Dog handler and retired teacher Richard Mint, who has lived in the village for years, said:

“It’s a fantastic area and a very popular place to live. This is the first excitement we’ve seen here in years.

“Having brought a family here, I am shocked.”