Tributes to dead family as man held

The bodies of Beverley Samuels, 36, her daughter Kesha Wizzart, 18, and son Fred, 13, were found at the house in Fallowfield, Greater Manchester, on Thursday.

A moving statement released by relatives told how Beverley was the "heart" and "backbone" of the family while pretty Kesha was the apple of her father's eye. Police arrested a former friend of Mrs Samuels Pierre Williams in Birmingham on Friday night following an appeal.

Fred, who suffered from dyslexia, was a carefree little boy who always made everyone laugh, said the statement. The avid Manchester United fan was a "good handyman" who was known to his family as "baby Fred".

Kesha, who appeared on Young Stars in Their Eyes in 2004 aged 15, was a "hummingbird" who was always happy and saw the good in everyone and everything.

Williams, 32, was arrested on suspicion of the murders and was being escorted to Manchester where he will be quizzed by murder squad detectives.

The bodies were discovered at about 7pm on Thursday at the family's terraced home on Thelwall Avenue. Mrs Samuels, who worked as a nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, was a friend of Williams but the pair had not seen one another for some time. Williams grew up in Moss Side but had recently been living in Birmingham.

Floral tributes line the street outside the red-bricked property with messages expressing the communities shock and sympathy. One card read: "Kesha you were always a star, now we know you are shining down on us. Heaven was missing an angel but why did they take you".

Kesha found fame performing a Toni Braxton song on the ITV talent show and was tipped for success by a local music producer who felt she had star quality. She won the chance to have a CD produced of her music after winning a local radio station competition.

The children's father, who works as a computer engineer, was being comforted by friends and family.