Didcot murders: prime suspect Jed Allen found dead in Oxford

The man suspected of murdering his sister, mother and her partner has been found dead in woodland in Oxford, following a two-day manhunt.

Jed Allen was the prime suspect in the killing of Janet Jordan, Philip Howard and six-year old Derin Jordan who were found dead in their home in Didcot, Oxfordshire on Saturday. The victims suffered fatal knife wounds and were discovered after police were alerted by concerned neighbours.

The gruesome discovery sparked a manhunt involving more than 100 officers, police dogs and a helicopter, and the public were warned not to approach Allen. He was last seen on CCTV buying a bottle of water at Oxford train station on Saturday evening, soon after the murders took place.

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The search for Allen focused on Oxford University Parks where he worked as a groundsman, but his body was discovered in nearby woodland on Monday by a member of the public. Officers have confirmed they are no longer looking for any other suspects in connection with the homicides.

Detective Superintendent Chris Ward thanked the public for their help during the investigation and said an inquest would be carried out in due course, the BBC reports. "My condolences go out to the families and loved ones," said Ward. "We have specially trained officers with the families and will continue to support them at this extremely difficult time.”

The 21-year-old was known to police before the attacks and often posed with weapons on social media. In one image, he is seen posing as X-men character Wolverine with kitchen knives in between his knuckles, and others posted on Instagram show him wielding a large hunting knife and an axe. He described himself as "lonely" and "sad" and is said to have struggled to come to terms with his parent's divorce, The Guardian reports.

The head teacher at All Saints primary school where Allen's sister Derin was in Year 1 said he was "shocked and devastated" to lose a child in such tragic circumstances. "She was a beautiful little girl, happy and gentle and smiley. She was a wonderful little child," said John Myers.