A paramedic found dead along with a woman at a house in Staffordshire had appeared in the Channel 4 show 999: On The Frontline.

Police have opened a murder investigation after the bodies of Daniel Duffield, 24, and Lauren Evans, 22, were discovered in a property in Hednesford, Cannock, at around 12.30pm on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Duffield worked for West Midlands Ambulance Service and featured in an episode of 999: On The Frontline which was broadcast in March. The documentary series follows ambulance crews as they attend to callouts.

Ellie, his crewmate on the show, has said she spoke to Mr Duffield over the phone around an hour before he was found dead.

She wrote in a tribute on Instagram: “Never in a million years did I think I’d have to sit and write this and yet I’m still trying to come to terms with it, but I just want to express how special you was to me, not only my best friend at work and the best crewmate but one of my best friends who had a massive impact on day to day life.”

Ellie added that Mr Duffield was the “most kind-hearted person who always had time to help others”.

She continued: “Dan I can’t believe your (sic) actually gone and I’ll forever cherish the dinner you made me the other week, (surprised how nice you made fajitas tbh).

“We were meant to go out together this week and I was looking forward to seeing you, even the phone call we had this morning an hour before you was gone I’ll never forget, love you forever Dan.”

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Mr Duffield’s sister Chels Louise wrote in a tribute on Facebook: “Never ever thought I’d have to write this post, my beautiful brother has left us today I’m so distraught you’ve gone.

“I will never come to terms with it that your (sic) no longer here. You was such a bright soul always helping other people making them smile, laugh (and) saving lives but unfortunately you couldn’t help yourself.

“I will forever cherish you and us growing up together you will always be in my heart was the best brother I could of ever asked for forever 24 RIP Daniel Duffield I’ll always miss you and love you forever untill (sic) we meet again rip brother.”

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Richard Barratt, a senior operations manager at the West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “Daniel Duffield was a well-known member of staff and always keen to help and support his colleagues. His death, at such a young age, is a great tragedy.

“I hope Daniel’s family can take some comfort from the hundreds of patients he helped through his time as a paramedic. Our thoughts go out to the families of both of those found at the scene.”

Staffordshire Police have named Mr Duffield, from Cannock, and Ms Evans, from Bridgend in South Wales, but said they have not been formally identified.

The officer has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to “recent police contact” prior to the deaths.

The force said on Wednesday that officers had been carrying out enquiries in the area to “understand more about what happened”.

Detective Superintendent Nicki Addison said: “My thoughts are very much with the families at this time.

“I know this news has understandably shaken the local community. I’d like to reassure everyone that we’ve got a specialist team of officers working extensive hours to fully investigate what happened and support the families of those affected.

“We completely understand that lots of people want to know more about what happened, but we’d like to reiterate that speculation isn’t helpful to families at this distressing time.

“I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward with information and ask that people continue to get in touch if they’ve got any information that can help us.”

Jay Slater’s mother has said the family are working with GoFundMe to withdraw some of the £36,000 that has been raised since the teenager disappeared.

Debbie Duncan, posting on the “Get Jay Slater Home” page which has been set up on the crowdfunding platform, said the money would be used to “support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay“.

She also said the money would be used to help cover accommodation and food expenses while the family are out in Tenerife helping to search for the 19-year-old.

Ms Duncan, who is on the Spanish island with Mr Slater’s father and brother, added that “part of these funds” will also be used to fly out the “loved ones” of the “wonderful people who are by my side” so that “we can support each other during these dark times”.

The fundraiser which was set up to support Mr Slater’s family had raised more than £36,400 by this morning.

Ms Duncan posted her update on the GoFundMe page as the search for her son entered its 11th day.

‘Not losing hope’

She wrote: “It’s difficult to wrap our heads around what is happening right now, but we are not losing hope that we will find Jay and return home together.

“We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held.

“I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.

“Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses.

“I’m surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we’ll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times.”

She also thanked those who had sent “kind messages” and donations, adding: “This means the world to us.”

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Ms Duncan and her son’s friends have been at the centre of conspiracy theories on social media since the teenager disappeared.

The construction company which employs Mr Slater shared a post on Facebook earlier today urging people to stop sending them “cruel” emails and to stop posting theories online.

‘Cruel’ online messages

PH Build Group wrote: “These people are trying to ruin people’s lives and businesses (while) sat behind a screen looking for attention.

“Everyone may have their own theories and feelings but to publicly post them knowing you are going to hurt people is just cruel.

“Jay’s family shouldn’t have to endure this.”

Mr Slater, an apprentice bricklayer, had been holidaying with friends in southern Tenerife before travelling to the northwestern mountain village of Masca with two people he met at the NRG music festival on Sunday 16 June.

The teenager, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, told a friend over the phone at 8.30am the following morning that he was walking back to his holiday accommodation after missing a bus – a journey that would take 11 hours on foot.

He also said he was lost, in need of water, and only had 1% charge on his phone.

The last person to see Mr Slater was Masca resident Ofelia Medina Hernandez who spoke to the teenager on Monday 17 June.

Ms Hernandez said she told him a bus was due at 10am as he seemingly hoped to get back to his accommodation.

However, he set off walking – and she said she later drove past him while he was “walking fast”.

Prince Harry has been ordered by a High Court judge to explain how messages between him and the ghostwriter of his memoir, Spare, came to be “destroyed”.

There is a suggestion they may be relevant to his legal action against the publisher of The Sun newspaper, News Group Newspapers (NGN).

Mr Justice Fancourt said the apparent deletion of the duke’s exchanges with John Moehringer on the Signal messaging platform, as well as drafts of Spare prior to its publication, was “not transparently clear”.

He also said there was evidence that a “large number of potentially relevant documents” and “confidential messages” between Harry and his ghostwriter “were destroyed some time between 2021 and 2023, well after this claim was under way”.

He ordered the duke’s lawyers to carry out further searches of his laptop and examine his texts, Whatsapp and Signal messages from 2005 to January last year.

Harry has also been ordered to make an interim payment of £60,000 in legal costs to NGN, as the judge ruled largely in favour of the publisher’s request for a wider search for evidence.

Earlier, the prince was accused of creating an “obstacle course” in his legal battle against NGN.

Lawyers for the publisher also claimed the Duke of Sussex had to be dragged “kicking and screaming” into disclosing more than 11,000 emails from a now-closed account.

Anthony Hudson KC, representing NGN, said it appeared that “all documents relating to the writing of Spare [the duke’s memoir] were destroyed before publication and after the commencement of these proceedings”.

Legally, the purpose of disclosure is to ensure all parties are aware of any documents that have a bearing on the case, the government website says.

NGN wants Harry to disclose information that could relate to when he knew he could bring a potential case against the publisher.

NGN also wants to know whether the filing of the prince’s claim, in September 2019, was made within a legal time limit, the court was told.

The publisher is asking Mr Justice Fancourt to order Harry’s current and former solicitors to carry out searches of various communications.

The duke’s legal team accused the publisher of embarking on a “classic fishing expedition” that was “entirely unnecessary and disproportionate”.

Harry, 39, alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN, which also published the News Of The World, which folded in 2011.

He is one of a number of people bringing cases against the publisher. A full trial of some of those cases is due to be held in January.

NGN has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.

Mr Justice Fancourt heard that 11,570 emails from the duke’s now-closed ha@sjpkp.com email account were being reviewed for potential disclosure by his lawyers.

Mr Hudson said: “We’ve had to drag those out of the claimant kicking and screaming,” adding that the disclosure process is “incredibly simple but for the obstacle course created by the claimant”.

“He doesn’t want to have to do this for whatever reason,” Mr Hudson added.

In written arguments, he said conversations Harry had on messaging service Signal with the ghostwriter of Spare, John Moehringer, had been “wiped” before the memoir was published, adding: “It therefore appears that a substantial source of relevant documents in the claimant’s control has been deleted during the currency of these proceedings.”

Mr Hudson continued: “It appears that all documents relating to the writing of Spare were destroyed before publication and after the commencement of these proceedings, a matter which gives rise to real concern as to whether the claimant has complied with his obligation to preserve potentially relevant documents.”

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David Sherborne, representing Harry, said he opposed the publisher’s bid for disclosure, adding that an impression had been given that was “quite wrong”.

He also claimed that NGN had previously deleted “millions of emails” as a way of “hiding incriminating evidence”.

It is the “height of hypocrisy to suggest that obstacles are being put in the way by the claimant who obviously has something to hide”, Mr Sherborne added.

Harry is voluntarily allowing a search of his emails that has taken 150 hours and cost £50,000, the duke’s lawyer said.

In written arguments, Mr Sherborne said Harry had already searched his California home for material, and that he no longer had laptops, mobile phones or data backups from before September 2013.

Harry’s Hotmail email address used before 2014 had been deactivated, he added, while there were “no relevant social media accounts that fall to be searched”.

Royal aides have also been contacted and “have confirmed they do not hold relevant documents”, Mr Sherborne said.