A couple has been arrested on suspicion of murdering five elderly residents at a care home.
Rachel Baker, 45, a registered nurse, and her husband Leigh, 48, a chef, will be questioned by police over the deaths of four women and one man at the home in Somerset which they have run for the past decade.
Detectives launched the inquiry following the death of 97-year-old Lucy Cox on New Year’s Day.
Mr and Mrs Baker were arrested a week later on suspicion of administering a noxious substance.
The investigation widened and the deaths of seven residents were treated as suspicious at the Parkfields Residential Home in Butleigh, Somerset since June 2004.
Police exhumed the remains of three other former residents in order to carry out toxicology tests and establish whether they had been poisoned.
The remains of Nellie "Mary" Pickford, 89, Marion Alder, 79, and Fred Green, 81, were exhumed this summer.
Detectives also probed the deaths of three other unnamed residents who had been cremated.
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Answering bail this morning, the Bakers were arrested in Yeovil.
Avon and Somerset police spokesman Dan Mountain said: "A 45-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man have this morning attended Yeovil police station.
"Both have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of four women and one man, theft and unlawful possession of controlled prescribed drugs and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
"Both arrests relate to ongoing inquiries into deaths at the former Parkfields Residential Care Home in Butleigh.
"Both the man and the woman remain in custody at Yeovil."
Police have not confirmed the names of the alleged victims that Mr and Mrs Baker are being questioned over.
The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which is responsible for regulating and inspecting social care services for adults, sparked the massive inquiry after inspectors carried out a spot-check at the home when the Bakers were arrested in connection with the death of Mrs Cox in January.
They closed Parkfields in March after obtaining an order from magistrates. The remaining residents were re-homed.
The CSCI said it had experienced a "total lack of co-operation" by staff following inspections at the home.
Neighbours in the quiet suburban street in Glastonbury where Mr and Mrs Baker live with their five-year-old daughter said they were shocked at developments.
Pensioner Maureen Wade, 71, said: "When you are old, which I am, this sort of thing strikes a cold chill down your spine.
"I have spoken to residents who live in the nearby bungalows - there is a widespread feeling of complete disbelief. It has certainly got the village talking."
Christine Berry, 60, who lives 200 yards from the home, added: "Most people have been surprised and amazed by this whole saga.
"People who I know who have lived in the bungalows and flats at the site have previously had only good things to say about it. It was an expensive home with a very good reputation."
She added: "I feel so sorry for the families of the residents who have been moved on.
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Couple arrested over five care home deaths
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