Family tribute to 'loving son' found dead in Newton-le-Willows home

The family of a man who was found dead inside a home in Newton-le-Willows have paid tribute to the "loving son, dad, brother, partner, uncle and friend".

Last week, two women were arrested on suspicion of murder after a man, now revealed to be Tommy Oakes, 46, from Newton-le-Willows, was found unresponsive inside a house on Barnett Avenue on Sunday, February 4. Tommy was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead later in the afternoon.

In a tribute released via Merseyside Police, Tommy's family said: "Tommy Oakes was a loving son, dad, brother, partner, uncle and friend. Tommy lived a life full of love, laughter, fishing and music.

"After his family, DJing is what he loved most and everyone that knew him knew he had an ear for a good tune and could bring a smile to the face of anyone that had the pleasure of meeting him during his 46 years of life.

"He will be remembered for always cracking jokes and making light of any situation. He was, and will forever be, cherished by his three children, partner and siblings and will be deeply missed by all his family."

Merseyside Police previously confirmed that a 52-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman - both from Newton-le-Willows - were arrested on suspicion of murder and have since been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Previously Detective Inspector Jimmy Rotheram said: “Our thoughts first and foremost are with the man’s family following this unexpected tragic incident. An investigation remains underway in the area and our officers are in the early stages of establishing exactly what happened.

“While we have already made two arrests, our specialist officers remain at the scene as we carry out forensic examinations and review any CCTV footage in the area.

“If you live on Barnett Avenue and have any doorbell or CCTV footage from around 2.00pm on Sunday 4 February that may have captured what happened or heard anything suspicious, then please get in touch with us so we can continue our enquiries."

Contacting the police: Anyone who has any information about the incident is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 with the reference 24000145442.