Two people found dead in a flat were believed to be Chinese students, a neighbour said.
A murder investigation was launched on Saturday after police discovered the bodies in Croydon Road in Newcastle upon Tyne's West End.
Northumbria Police has not released any details about the victims but a close neighbour, whose home overlooks the property, said: "I think they were Chinese and possibly students."
The neighbour, who did not want to be named, added: "They have not been here for long and they just kept themselves to themselves."
The crime scene is in an area of terrace houses popular with students and Asian families.
Police took away a silver hatchback car on a covered lorry while forensic experts in white suits examined the scene.
Police tape was still in place and officers continued to guard the cordoned off street.
By coincidence, the flat is a couple of doors away from the former home of a murdered schoolboy.
Wesley Neailey was 11 when he was murdered in 1998 by convicted paedophile Dominic McKilligan.
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "This is a nice place to live and we have been here for 15 years but seeing all the police activity has brought back memories of Wesley."
