DETECTIVES have tonight named the woman who was found stabbed to death in her Southampton home.

The body of Maria Lakatos, who the Daily Echo understands was also known as Maria Szarvak, was discovered at her house in Harcourt Road, Bitterne Park shortly after 11am on Wednesday.

Maria, who was 37 years old, not 38 as reported by police, was originally from Hungary.

A police spokesman said that a 37-year-old Southampton man is still being held in police custody and officers have been granted extra time by magistrates to continue questioning him on suspicion of murder.

Officers are still urging anyone with information to come forward and speak to the Operation Stern team at Hulse Road on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Maria was originally from Szolnok in Hungary, around 70 miles south east of the capital Budapest. She is believed to have worked at a Boots the Chemist in the city. Neighbours told the Daily Echo that she lived at the house with a man.

Detectives and forensic officers moved in and out of the red brick semi-detached home throughout yesterday as they gathered evidence and took photographs both upstairs and down.

The road was sealed off from its junction with Bullar Road and Macnaghten Road and neighbours were seen looking on from their windows as the drama unfolded.

Local residents last night told of their shock that someone had been killed just yards from their homes.

Neighbour Lisa Parker, who lives with her partner Rick and their toddler Ruben, said she hadn’t heard any noise from the house despite living close by.

Lisa, 33, said: “They’ve lived there just over a year, but they just seemed to keep themselves to themselves. It’s all a bit crazy to be honest.

“I was just upstairs and I came down to find tape across the front garden and I just thought ‘what’s going on’.

“This is the first major thing we’ve had down our street. Usually it’s fine, just a normal quiet street.”

Mike Keeble lives just across the road from the house where the murder took place.

Mike, 28, who was at work as a tree surgeon when the incident happened, said: “It’s quite shocking, I’ve lived around this area my whole life and to come home and see something like this out of a house where the people seemed so quiet you just would never have seen that coming.

“It’s quite scary that I could have come out of my flat and said ‘hello’ to him. You never know it could have been me or my brother or anyone on this road.”

Fellow resident Ali White, 41, added: “All the police officers just legged it to number 20 and we were just hanging out the window wondering what was going on.

“You could here sirens in the distance but when they came up this road they were turned off, there must have been about five police cars turned up.”

Zoey Mills, 33, who works in nearby Macnaghten Road, agreed, she said: “There must have been 20 or 30 police officers heading towards the house and it was already cordoned off so we knew something serious had happened.”

Other residents returned to their homes in shock at the number of police in their usually quiet road. Alan Bamford, 38, a stay at home dad, said: “I’m shocked and surprised. Nothing like this has ever happened around here, its usually such a nice friendly atmosphere.”

Eddie Belbin, 82, who lives further down the road, agreed: “I’m shocked like everybody else. It’s always pretty quiet round here, we get a bit of traffic but the rest of the time its quiet.

“It does make you wonder what society is coming to when you here about these things though.”