A mother and daughter killed at their home were on the phone to police as the attack unfolded, detectives have said.
Suspect Janbaz Tarin is being sought in connection with the killings of Raneem Oudeh, 22, and Khaola Saleem, 49, in Solihull, who were assaulted in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday.
Clarifying “speculation” about police contact with Oudeh leading up to her death, West Midlands Police said there had been “a number of calls” from her to police, on Sunday night.
A statement said: “Following speculation over police contact with the victim on the evening, we are clarifying the following points.
“There were a number of calls from Miss Oudeh to police on Sunday evening and we tried to physically locate her but were unsuccessful.
“Contact was being made to arrange to see Miss Oudeh and it was during this conversation that the situation quickly escalated and the call handler immediately dispatched officers to the location in Northdown Road where they arrived within minutes.”
The police statement continued: “Officers have searched several addresses linked to the 21-year-old – an Afghan national – in Birmingham and seized computer equipment and mobile phones for analysis.
“The suspected murder weapon has also been recovered and a van seized for forensic examination.”