Neighbours of Bennylyn Burke in Bristol were being quizzed by police as officers in Dundee conducted inquiries.
Software engineer Andrew Innes, 50, had appeared in court this week charged with the murder of Ms Burke, 25, and her two-year-old daughter Jellica.
It is alleged that Innes bludgeoned Ms Burke to death with a hammer at his home in Dundee, and murdered the child by unknown means between February 17 and March 5 this year.
Ms Burke, Jellica and another child had been reported as missing to Avon and Somerset police on March 1, having last been seen at her first floor flat at Fairview Court in Kingswood, on February 17.
A resident who stays on the ground floor of the block said police had been going door-to-door to inquire about the mother’s disappearance.
Andrew Innes, 50, has been charged with double murder after he allegedly beat mother Bennylyn Burke to death with a hammer
Neighbours of Bennylyn Burke in Bristol were being quizzed by police as officers in Dundee conducted inquiries
Police activity at a property in Troon Avenue in Dundee as the search for Bennylyn Burke continued yesterday
A police officer stands at the entrance to Troon Avenue in Dundee as the search for Bennylyn Burke continued on March 9
The neighbour said: ‘The police were here to ask about Bennylyn and what I knew about flat number seven. I didn’t know them.’
Other residents in the block, located in a suburb around five miles from Bristol city centre, had also been questioned by police about the disappearance of Ms Burke on Saturday night – as officers in Dundee were preparing to charge Innes with her murder – but were also unfamiliar with her or the girls.
Residents who lived in the block said the area is a peaceful one.
Ms Burke (pictured), a mother of two, is believed to have moved from the Philippines to Bristol around two years ago
Neighbours in nearby streets were also questioned by officers and suggested the three-storey block, which they understood to be social housing, was no stranger to the presence of emergency services.
One said: ‘I was watching on the news on Sunday evening and they said a South Gloucestershire woman had been murdered and I thought that’s near me.
‘Then they said Kingswood and then Court Road and the next thing, a police detective knocked on my door to ask if we had seen or knew anything.
‘I didn’t know her or recognise her. The first I heard of it was on the news.
‘I had heard people shouting at the flats in the middle of February and I think it was reported to the police.’
Local residents were also asked if they had seen a blue Renault car, like one seized by investigators in Ardler for further examination.
Neighbours admitted recognising the vehicle would be difficult given the road is a busy thoroughfare.
Avon and Somerset Police declined to comment, stating there is nothing they can say publicly at this time that has not already been stated by Police Scotland.
A 50-year-old man was arrested at a property in Troon Avenue, Dundee, on Friday in connection with the disappearance of Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica. Picture date: March 9
Flowers and a teddy bear left at the entrance to Troon Avenue in Dundee as the search for Bennylyn Burke continues
Innes allegedly used a hammer to murder Bennylyn and is accused of killing pre-schooler Jellica through ‘unknown means.’
Police had been stationed at Troon Avenue in Dundee since Friday, where cordons were put up around Innes’ house.
Forensic officers continues their investigations over the weekend and police remain at the Ardler house.
Innes made no plea at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday and is expected to appear again next week.
A seven-year-old girl was found alive in the Dundee property and is being supported by police.
It is understood Ms Burke originally hailed from the Philippines and travelled to live in Bristol around two years ago.
Ms Burke is understood to have had family members living in the United Kingdom and they have been informed as her next-of-kin.
Door-to-door inquiries have been carried out in the Ardler area of Dundee, where Innes lives in a £250,000 five bedroom house.
Detectives are trying to establish the full extent of Ms Burke’s movements in the period since she was last seen until Innes’ arrest.
Anyone with information has been asked to call Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident 1434 of 5 March 2021.