Two sisters found dead in a London park after a birthday party at the weekend were the daughters of the Church of England’s first female archdeacon from a black and minority ethnic background. Police launched a murder investigation after the bodies of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were found in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London, on Sunday afternoon. Detectives said the sisters were thought to have been among a group of about 10 people who gathered in the park on Friday evening to celebrate Henry’s birthday. Police said the two women had stayed behind in the park after their friends left. The sisters were reported missing late on Saturday when they did not return home. Henry was a senior social worker in children’s services at Buckinghamshire council. She had worked at the local authority since 2017. Smallman was a graduate from the University of Westminster. The women were the daughters of Wilhelmina Smallman, who was the archdeacon of Southend in the diocese of Chelmsford until her retirement in 2016. Known as Mina, she was the C of E’s first female archdeacon from a minority ethnic background. DCI Simon Harding, the senior investigating officer, said the women’s families “have been devastated by their loss and they need answers. They have asked that their privacy is respected at this time as they come to terms with this horrific incident.” The group of friends had been in “a well-known spot to sit and look over London”, he added. “If you were in that area of the park from the evening of 5 June through to Sunday lunchtime, noticed the group, or saw anything else suspicious, please contact us immediately,” Harding said. “You may have stumbled upon items of property, but not realised the significance of them. If you did, you may well have information that could assist us hugely. No matter how insignificant it may seem, please contact us.”