Grieving families of four-year-old girl, mother, and man who died in fire at Grade-II listed house honor their memory with heartfelt tribute

The heartbroken families of a four-year-old girl, her mother, and a man have paid a devastating tribute to them today after they tragically lost their lives in a fire at a Grade-II listed house.

Emma Conn, 30, and her daughter Mayci Fox, four, both from Desborough, lost their lives along with Louie Thorn, 23, at a property in the village of Rushton, near Kettering.

The tragic incident occurred at the former station master’s house, which was undergoing renovation when flames engulfed the property on Friday, March 28. Sadly, a fourth person was also injured in the fire and was taken to the hospital.

Emma and Mayci’s grieving relatives this afternoon described the mother and daughter as ‘two peas in a pod’.

The tearjerking tribute from Emma’s sister and parents went on to describe her as an ‘incredible mother’ with ‘Mayci-Moo’ being ‘so full of life’. 

Mayci’s father, Kyle, movingly said a future without his daughter was ‘unimaginable’. 

‘She is irreplaceable and was my world. I will love her and miss her forever,’ he said. 

Mr Thorn’s father, Lee, said he was the ‘perfect boy’, while his mother, Tiffany, said her son ‘was so genuine, caring, kind and trusting’.

Emma Conn, 30, and her daughter Mayci Fox, four – both from Desborough – died in a house fire at a Grade II-listed property

The mother and father of Louie Thorn, 23, described him as the ‘perfect boy’who was ‘so genuine, caring, kind and trusting’

A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but he was released from custody with police saying they don’t believe there is any evidence of ‘criminal wrongdoing’. 

Rev. Andy Giles led prayers for the family during a Mothering Sunday service and told of how the close-knit community are ‘extremely shocked and saddened’ by Friday night’s tragedy. 

Mayci’s father said his daughter was a ‘little livewire’, saying: ‘Becoming her dad was amazing. The feeling when I first saw her was so special, and I have adored her from the very start.’

He added: ‘The first thing I picture when I think of Mayci is her smile. She was always smiling, being happy and cheeky, and it was impossible to stay cross in the face of that beautiful smile.

‘She was wild and went her own way – she would have her Elsa dress on, with her beloved red wellies and messy hair.’

In a heartfelt tribute released tonight by police, Emma’s sister and parents said she had a ‘real lust for life’ who loved the simple things in life such as cheesy chips and hot chocolate with marshmallows. 

‘She was the most incredible, wonderful mum, who was fiercely loyal and very protective of all those she loved, especially her family,’ they said. 

‘Emma certainly wasn’t shy in coming forward and is the one person you would want in your corner.

‘Emma was a very caring, loving and kind person. She was a carer when she was younger and more recently, cared for her Grandad, who she worshipped, before he sadly died last year.’

Emma excelled at trampolining and had competed national level before an ankle injury curtailed her promising career. 

She went on to own The Lash Lounge & Beauty salon in the village where she would ride around in her Range Rover Sport blasting 90s R&B tunes. 

Aerial view of the historic former station house in Beswick Close, Rushton

Shocking images show a large hole burned through the roof of the 19th-century building

Ms Conn is pictured with her daughter four-year-old daughter Mayci

Floral tributes, cars and teddies left near the scene of the fire for Mr Thorn, Ms Conn and her daughter Mayci

Flowers laid near the scene of the fatal fire in memory of the three who tragically lost their lives

Her daughter Mayci was described as ‘the happiest little girl you could ever meet’. 

‘She absolutely adored her Grandad, loved swimming and playing mermaids with her Grandma,’ the statement read.

‘She also had such a special bond with her Auntie Char and Uncle Maz. She loved playing hide and seek with them and she loved the smell of Maz’s aftershave.

‘She was very girly and loved Barbie, always playing the song! Loved to dress up like her mum as well as have her nails done. She never went anywhere without her lip balm!

‘When she went quiet, we knew she was up to something and would find her putting on our make-up, but her favourite thing was getting her face painted.’

They added: ‘Emma and Mayci will always be loved, lost but never forgotten.

‘As a family we are utterly devastated, it just doesn’t feel real. We are still trying to process what has happened while at the same time grieving for the loss of Emma and Mayci. While we do this, we would please ask that the media respect our privacy.’

Mr Thorn’s mother said in a poignant tribute that her son ‘was a beautiful child, he never wanted to be the centre of attention’. 

She said she will ‘miss him every day for therest of my life and beyond’. 

‘Everyone who met Louie liked him because he was so genuine, caring, kind and trusting. These qualities made me so proud to be his mother, but they also made him quite a vulnerable soul,’ Tiffany said.

‘He was such a sweet lad and would always go out of his way to help anyone who needed it, often with no thought for his own safety. He was honestly so selfless.

‘When I close my eyes, I remember all the things about Louie that make me smile – his kind face, the sound of his laugh, the smell of the roast dinners we shared, his sense of humour, the image of him learning to ride his bike when he was a small boy, the double denim and sunglasses he wore as a baby, and the all-consuming pride I feel knowing he was mine.

‘I genuinely feel so blessed to have been his mum and there will never be a day when I don’t think about him. 

‘There are no words that could describe how I feel knowing I will never see him again, but it gives me some comfort to know that the world we live in can’t hurt him anymore.

‘He was the purest of souls, the purest of humans, and just the most beautiful soul. I genuinely believe he was too precious for this world and that’s why God took him so young.’

His father said he was his ‘special boy’ who he had ‘wrapped in cotton wool’ since the moment he was born. 

Pictured is the gaping hole in the roof after the tragic blaze

Police at the scene of the home in Rushton, near Kettering, where three people died after a horror house fire

Pictured is the historic house before the devastating blaze ripped through the property

A police van pictured outside the property which is a 19th century former station master’s house at the now-closed Glendon and Rushton railway station

He spoke of the close bond the duo shared and ‘were as inseparable as it was possible to be’. 

Lee said: ‘He was my opposite in many ways, but we were best friends. When he was older, he was my calm when I was angry, he was my guide when I needed guidance, and he was my safe place when I needed it.

‘It’s so hard to capture who Louie really was because he was so special. He lit up every room with his contagious smile and his trademark thumbs up, and one of the things I always admired about him was that he was never down, never sad, and he would never have a bad word to say about anyone, even if they wronged him. He always put everyone else before himself.

‘Louie and I shared a love of football, and we enjoyed going to matches together across the country. 

‘I ended up buying two football clubs and this was purely because of him. He used to train with the team when we had the football club and he even played on the pitch at both Wembley and Anfield.’

He added: ‘Louie was an extremely intelligent lad and a real hard worker. He was amazing with his work colleagues, liked by everyone, and will be missed by everyone who knew him.

‘He also loved his two little brothers – George and Albert, and it was devastating having to tell them that Louie had died.

‘Life without Louie doesn’t bear thinking about. What do you do when your world is no longer here? How do you go on?

‘He will always be the angel on my shoulder and whenever I think about him he will always be there with me.

‘I will always have amazing memories of him, and all the things we did. We spent so much time together and I needed him just as much as he needed me.

‘He was my kind and caring cotton wool boy and he will be forever missed by his dad and his two little brothers, George and Albert.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.