A family in Radcliffe, Manchester have revealed their heartbreak following the murder of a father-of-three.
The man was murdered by burglars who broke into his home to steal his beloved Labradoodle, it has been reported.
Family in Manchester heartbroken as burglars murder father
Donald “Prentice” Patience, a 45-year-old father-of-three, was killed when burglars broke into his home and stole his beloved dog.
Officers raced to Donald’s address in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, at 10.30pm on Tuesday (August 22) following reports burglars were trying to steal Patience’s dog.
Upon searching the address, police found Donald’s body. He was sadly pronounced dead on the scene.
The Labradoodle was rescused by cops from a nearby dog parlour. Labradoodle puppies can be sold for between £700 – £1,500.
Family pay tribute to Donald
The family of Donald have since paid tribute to the 45-year-old following his death.
His loved-ones have described him as a “much-loved son, brother and father and will be sorely missed by many, affectionately known as Prentice”.
His ex-wife, Kirsty, with whom he shared three children, paid tribute on Facebook too.
“This breaks my heart to have to write this,” she wrote. “As a lot of you may have already seen, this week we lost an extremely incredible man.”
She then continued. “Despite whatever happened between us, Prentice was an amazing father and adored his children.”
“We are all truly heart broken at this news and we are all struggling to come to terms with his death,” she then added.
Three arrested following Radcliffe murder
A post-mortem conducted by the Home Office confirmed that Donald’s death was “suspicious”. Three men have since been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Two of the men, 27-years-old and 41-years-old, have been released on bail pending further enquiries. The third man, 39, remains in police custody.
A woman who lives near the dog grooming parlour told the MailOnline she saw a man being arrested.
“There was a man who was being arrested. I asked an officer what was going on and he told me that he thought the man had stolen the dog,” she said.
A neighbour said that Donald’s dog, Layla, was “his life”.
“I think along with his kids, that dog was his life. He really doted on Layla,” another woman told the publication.
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