Tributes have been paid to mother-of-three Marta Bednarczyk, as a 13-year-old girl has appeared in court charged with her murder.
Police found the body of the 43-year-old at a property on Newcomen Road, Wellingborough, around 3am on Monday. She is believed to have died as a result of a sharp force injury.
The girl, who cannot be legally named because of her age, also faces charges of arson with intent to endanger life and clutched a teddy bear in the dock.
She only spoke to confirm her name and date of birth in a four-minute hearing before three magistrates remanded her into secure accommodation detention.
On Wednesday afternoon, she will appear at Northampton Crown Court before Judge Adrienne Lucking KC.
Paying tribute to Ms Bednarczyk, her family described her as “the matriarch of our family”.
They said: “She was a very caring woman, a loving mother, and a supportive friend who could never do enough for those she loved.
“She moved from Poland to the UK in 2010 – first to London and then to Wellingborough in 2012, where she worked in a warehouse in order to bring money home for her family.
“She was engaged to her long-term partner Eugene and had a small but tight network of friends and family.
“She was so loved by all of us and the tragic circumstances in which she died will haunt us forever. We don’t think we will ever come to terms with it.
“We are heartbroken at the thought of never seeing our lovely Marta again. She will be missed beyond words, and she will never be forgotten.”
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They also thanked police and the support they had offered the family.
Forensic officers continued their work at a property on Newcomen Road.
It was also attended by firefighters in the early hours of Monday and suffered fire damage.
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A section of the street, comprised of terraced houses near to an Aldi supermarket and a Matalan store, remained behind police tape on Wednesday.
