Mother, 25, who was stabbed to death near her home 'while trying to break up a road rage fight' as police quiz man, 27, on suspicion of murder

• Levi Davis stabbed on Welllingborough Road, Rushden, at 8.30pm on Saturday 
• A 27-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of murder
• The 13-year-old questioned on Sunday now been released without any charge  
• It is understood Miss Davis was trying to break up a fight when she was stabbed
• Friends have described the mother-of-two as a 'one-in-a-million' and 'amazing'

An 'amazing' 25-year-old mother who was stabbed to death near her home may have been the victim of a road rage attack, police revealed today. 

Levi Davis, mother to two daughters aged two and five, was knifed in Rushden, Northamptonshire, on Saturday night at 8.30pm, after the black Polo she was travelling in was involved in a crash with a white Vauxhall van. 

A fight ensued, with Miss Davis trying to get in between two 27-year-old men to break it up.

The tragic mother was stabbed and,  despite desperate attempts to save her, died at the scene. 

A 13-year-old was questioned over her murder, but was released without charge on Sunday night while a 27-year-old man remains in custody.

Another 27-year-old, believed to be with Miss Davis during the attack, has been arrested for attempting to kill the man who allegedly knifed her.    

Currently, he is under police guard in hospital.

Officers combed through a £500,000 large detached home just yards from the scene of Miss Davis's death today, though they refused to say why. 

The home is believed to belong to a local roofing contractor, aged in his 50s, with police confirming it was 'linked to the investigation'. 

Smears of blood could be seen on the white doorframe of the house. 

Miss Davis lived less than half a mile from the scene of her death, with her Facebook profile saying she previously worked for the British Army, and was support staff at Leonard Cheshire Disability. 

One woman, who went to Miss Davis's aid on Saturday evening, said: 'People tried to help, but she died very quickly.'

Another woman said: 'There was a lot of shouting. Somebody was saying 'Oh No.' Someone was attacking a man on the ground.' 

Speaking at the scene today, Superintendent Dennis Murray, of Northamptonshire Police, said: 'My understanding is that two vehicles were involved in an altercation on Wellingborough Road.

'A 25-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. My heart goes out to the family.

'What we don't know is exactly what part the two vehicles had in this. We believe the perpetrators appear to be known to each other.

'One of the vehicles was a black Volkswagen Polo. The other was a white Vauxhall van.

'We believe she was a passenger. We don't know if she was driving. We are trying to find out what these vehicles were doing.

'Those two cars had an altercation before they came to a stop.

'There was a crash when the vehicles came together. My understanding was she was injured when she was outside the vehicle.

'We believe this is an isolated incident. Our officers are working to ensure that people are kept safe as I am sure people will be scared.'

When asked on whether Miss Davis was trying to stop the violence, Supt Murray said: 'I cannot confirm that at this time.' 

Supt Murray refused to be drawn on why a large detached house nearby was being searched by forensics teams, but said: 'It is linked to the investigation but I can't give anymore details at this time.'

Blood stains were visible on the white door frame of the house, worth more than £500,000.   

A woman who knew Miss Davis, but did not want to be named, said: 'What I've been told is two lads were getting into a stabby fight.

'She tried to get in the middle and she got stabbed.

'It's awful that she died like this. I can't say any more but everyone who knew her is absolutely gutted.' 

Friends of murdered mother described her as a 'one-in-a-million' and 'amazing.'

A member of staff at the One Stop shop round the corner from Miss Davis' home said: 'She was so lovely. She used to come in here with her daughter.

'Sometimes it was two girls. She came in all the time.

'It is scary and such a sad thing. It really is awful. I used to help her cross the road with her children sometimes.'

Another pal said she had recently broken up with her partner Matthew Lewinton who is understood to be the father of Miss Davis' two children

She said: 'They [Miss Davis and Mrs Lewinton] had been together but split up. It hit her pretty hard but she was getting on with her life.

'She was a wonderful mum and a one-in-a-million person. I haven't stopped crying since I heard. It's just awful and I feel so sorry for her two little girls.' 

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to give her daughters 'a brighter Christmas'

The post says: 'She leaves behind family and two beautiful daughters aged 2 & 4 who now have to grieve for there beautiful mummy, the aim is to raise money to give them two girls a bit of a brighter Christmas and for any family financial strain, even if you can only donate £1 it will all go a long way.'

And the youth centre in the town called Rush2TheDen, has invited people to make Christmas hampers for the young girls.

In a Facebook post it said: 'The very upsetting incident that happened over the weekend has left 2 young girls grieving for their mummy.

'We would like to invite you to join us in making a Christmas hamper for each.'

Residents living near the murder scene expressed their shock at the murder with some claiming it was a 'mugging gone wrong'.

One person in nearby St George's Way, who did not want to be named, said: 'We had come back from an evening meal when the police stopped us and told us we couldn't get through with our car because there had been an attack.

'We parked our car and an officer walked us past the incident. It was dark but there were forensics officers and police doing door-to-door enquiries.

'It was obvious something terrible had happened. One of my neighbours said an officer told them it is believed it was a mugging gone wrong.'

Several young women in tears paid their respects at the scene where the murder took place.

One said: 'Her name was Levi Davis and she was amazing. She lived very nearby.

'I don't want to say any more about it but she was lovely and didn't deserve this.' 

Another local added: 'This sort of thing never happens around here. It's really shocking because it's a nice area with families and professionals living here.

'There's even a care home opposite to where the murder happened. It's so out of kilter for this area.'

The murder happened around 200 yards from a One Stop Shop. A worker said: 'There were lots of police cars and sirens everywhere last night.

'Someone thought it was a hit-and-run but then it came out that the woman was stabbed.

'It's awful to think someone died like that and especially someone so young.'

Police also seized two cars which appeared to have had their passenger windows smashed.

A neighbour who lives across the road from the scene said: 'At about 8.45pm there was a bang.

'It could have been a car door, it could have been an accident. I didn't take a lot of notice but then I heard a young, raised voice.

'I did not hear what they were saying. I didn't take any more notice until the police arrived. It took them about ten minutes to get here.

'There were three or four ambulances and half-a-dozen police cars. They came to the corner of the two roads. They closed the road off.

'On the corner of Wellingborough Road and St George's Way there was a white Fiat 500.

'It did not look like an accident, I didn't see any damage. On the other corner [west of the Fiat] there was a reasonably big pile of clothing. I had never seen that in the street before.

'The police and the ambulance crews were all crouched around on the floor [near a lamppost on the same side as the clothes]. I presume the young woman was there on the floor.

'There were two cars parked up opposite with their hazards on [east of where he believes the body was]. I presumed the drivers were witnesses, but I couldn't see how they were involved in the incident.'

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Pete Long of Northamptonshire Police said: 'This was an extremely tragic incident in which a young woman has lost her life and I want to reassure people that we are doing all we can to bring those responsible to justice.

'A large team of detectives have been working on this case around the clock and a number of lines of enquiry are being pursued as part of this fast-paced investigation.

'This incident has really shocked the Rushden community, many of whom were on the scene last night, and I would ask anyone who was there and saw what happened to please come forward with your information.

'Likewise, if anyone has any information about last night's events or any dashcam footage of the area at the time, please come forward.

'Anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.'