The UK couple found dead in a suspected murder-suicide in New Zealand at a Wellington address were Ben Anderson, who worked in science, and Claire Anderson, who worked as a teacher, Stuff understands.

Police were called to the Roseneath property on Monday night for a welfare check from a concerned family member who had not heard from the pair.

When officers arrived at the home, two people were found dead, Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said.

Two post-mortem examinations took place on Wednesday and the deaths were being referred to the coroner. No one else was being sought in relation to the incident.

Two post-mortem examinations took place on Wednesday and the deaths were being referred to the coroner. No one else was being sought in relation to the incident.

“They were lovely, kind people. It is horrible to think of what happened,” said Emma Prestidge, who moved in next door a few months ago.

“He had been boarding with [the homeowner] for a while, and you could tell they added to each other’s lives beautifully.”

Prestidge and her husband, Paul, were moving boxes up their houses’ shared pathway in December when they met the couple. She said they had been going back and forth from the UK since 2020, but Ben had been boarding at the Roseneath address for a while.

Ben worked in science, Claire had been a teacher, and they had adult children in New Zealand, Prestidge said.

With a background in energy, Ben had been working at the Building Research Association of New Zealand in Wellington as a research scientist. He had previously also worked at the University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability between 2017 and 2019 as a visiting research fellow from the University of Southampton.

Claire moved permanently to New Zealand more recently, Prestidge said, so recently their belongings were still in shipping containers making their way over here.

Prestidge and her husband had no sense that anything was wrong until police knocked on their door late on Monday night.