Yorkshire Live
·27 Aug 2026
Woman killed in house fire was 'not involved with gangs', brother says
Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, died in a house fire in Birchington Avenue, Middlesbrough, while four others were injured. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder, and police are investigating possible links to organised crime and a nearby sequence of incidents, including a fatal A66 crash that killed two police officers and five young men. McDonald’s brother said she had no involvement with gangs or the crash. Inquests have opened into the deaths from the collision, while police continue inquiries into a separate property ramming and a stabbing in the area.