Yard probes mystery death

Police are investigating the mystery death of a 19-year-old student found lying in the street with serious head injuries.

Marsha McDonnell, who was taking a gap year, was discovered unconscious just after midnight on Tuesday only yards from her home in Hampton. She underwent emergency surgery but died yesterday afternoon.

Today, detectives said they were treating her death as suspicious but said all options were being investigated. They are keen to speak to a cyclist who was spotted in the road at the time.

Her distraught parents were today remembering their daughter. One minute there were tears as they described the moment Marsha's life support was switched off at Kingston Hospital. Seconds later there was laughter as they told of their daughter's zest for life.

They still have not been able to break the news to Marsha's five-year-old brother, Jack. "She was his favourite sister, they had a special bond," said mother, Ute.

Phil McDonnell, a former tour manager for Fleetwood Mac, Clannad and Van Morrison, said today: "The pain of Marsha's death is simply indescribable and I know it will never go away until the day I die. Already I'm thinking of the birthdays and Christmases ahead when Marsha won't be with us."

From Marsha's bedroom window you can see the spot where a neighbour, woken by a loud thud, found her moaning and with terrible head injuries just by their front gate. Mr McDonnell raced off to the hospital while his wife stayed with their youngest son.

"As I drove past the police cordon I could see the whole pavement covered with this huge pool of blood," he said. "I was looking at this in horror and asked the policeman if it was from my daughter. He said: 'I am afraid so'."

By the time Marsha reached hospital doctors believe little could have been done to save her. She had multiple skull fractures and massive bleeding around her brain. Yesterday the family, except Jack, gathered round Marsha's bedside while the systems keeping her alive were withdrawn. At just before 4.30pm the heart monitor showed that she had died.

"It was an incredible atmosphere, we all felt such love for Marsha," said Mr McDonnell.

Mrs McDonnell today described the varied talents of her daughter, a former pupil of Waldegrave School in Twickenham. "She was a wonderful musician, she played the violin, and was tremendous at netball," she said. "She was the rock all her friends depended on and now she has gone. I had four children before and if anyone asks me in future how many children I have I will tell them I still have four because for me Marsha is always going to be here."

She last spoke to her daughter that evening as she went to the cinema in Kingston with friends. Mrs McDonnell had stayed up for her daughter when the doorbell rang at 1am.

"I thought it was Marsha and assumed she had left her keys again but it was a policeman at the door. My stomach just went."

Mr McDonnell said: "Anyone who could be so cruel as to do this to a girl like Marsha has to be stopped."