A grieving mother has won her battle to bring the bodies of her murdered daughter and granddaughter back to West Yorkshire.

Jacqui Melvin, 50, who lives in Cottingley, has now heard that a court petition to keep together the bodies of Melanie Edwards, 33, and her two-year-old daughter Carli Fay - who were gunned down by Mrs Edwards' estranged husband Carlton - has been successful.

And she is due to find out this evening how much it will cost to fly the bodies home. She is hoping they could be back within the next week.

Carlton Edwards shot his wife and daughter near a protection home after returning Carli to her mother. Nine days later he turned a gun on himself when confronted by police on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

Mrs Melvin said: "We've got permission from the court in Seattle, despite any protests from the family over there, to keep the bodies together and bring them back.

"We've been told that they're going to be released by the medical examiner to a chapel of rest in Seattle today.

"We'll hear this evening what arrangements they are making to fly the bodies back and hopefully they'll be arriving back at Leeds-Bradford Airport within the next week.

"We've also won part of a victim fund and will be finding out whether it's enough to cover the cost of bringing them back.''

Mrs Melvin added: "It's taken a long time to get here but once we eventually get them back, the family can say their goodbyes properly. My daughter's from Yorkshire and I just wanted her home.

"She and Carli were murdered together and should stay together.''

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