‘Devastated’ family of Rushton fire victims pay tribute to 'the most incredible, wonderful mum' Emma and 'the happiest little girl you could ever meet' daughter Mayci

The family of Emma Conn and Mayci Fox have issued a moving tribute and photographs, describing the pair as ‘two peas in a pod.’

Emma, 30, and Mayci, 4, from Desborough, died as a result of the fire that broke out at a property off Station Road around 10.30am on Friday morning.

Formal identification is yet to take place, though the parents and sister of Emma Conn have shared their precious memories of the woman they describe as an ‘incredible mother’, and their ‘beautiful’ granddaughter and niece, Mayci-Moo.

In a tribute released by Northamptonshire Police today (April 2), they said: “Emma had a real lust for life. A very big character, bit of a drama queen, but loved the simple things in life especially cheesy chips and hot chocolate with marshmallows from Wendy Lou’s Tea Rooms.

“She was the most incredible, wonderful mum, who was fiercely loyal and very protective of all those she loved, especially her family. Emma certainly wasn’t shy in coming forward and is the one person you would want in your corner.

“Emma was a very caring, loving and kind person. She was a carer when she was younger and more recently, cared for her grandad, who she worshipped, before he sadly died last year.

“When she was younger, Emma excelled at trampolining and competed at a national level all over the country, but she was forced to stop competing following an ankle injury. She had an incredible mindset though, whatever she wanted to achieve, she did.

“This stood her in good stead throughout her life as despite leaving school without formal qualifications, Emma was a very successful businesswoman. She owned The Lash Lounge & Beauty salon in Desborough, which she made sure was open to everyone.

“She valued her clients and only allowed one person in the salon at a time to make sure they had her full attention. Emma was well-respected by her clients who often confided in her.

“As a family we have always been close and still spend a lot of time together, including going on holiday – Emma loved the heat and sun – or playing board games. She always cheated at Monopoly but made a mean roast dinner.

“We always tried to make holidays educational, and as a child Emma went to Cuba and Kenya, which became a special place for us all, with the marine life and coral beach providing a great experience. Emma loved it so much, she wanted to take her own family there.

“Her favourite colour was orange, she loved country and western music – Dolly Parton was her favourite – and she always liked Elvis and Kenny Roger’s The Gambler. Emma loved horses and had lots of pets from dogs, cats and even a snake as a child.”

Speaking about Emma’s daughter, Mayci, the family added: “Mayci-Moo was the double of her mum – so full of life. She was the happiest little girl you could ever meet. She absolutely adored her Grandad, loved swimming and playing mermaids with her Grandma.

“She also had such a special bond with her Auntie Char and Uncle Maz. She loved playing hide and seek with them and she loved the smell of Maz’s aftershave.

“She was very girly and loved Barbie, always playing the song. She loved to dress up like her mum as well as have her nails done. She never went anywhere without her lip balm.

“When she went quiet, we knew she was up to something and would find her putting on our make-up, but her favourite thing was getting her face painted. For days afterwards, she would ask us to touch it up to make it last longer.

“Emma had a tattoo of the Disney character Stitch and Mayci used to love this. She also like to draw, make things and do puzzles.

“Emma and Mayci will always be loved, lost but never forgotten.

“As a family we are utterly devastated, it just doesn’t feel real. We are still trying to process what has happened while at the same time grieving for the loss of Emma and Mayci. While we do this, we would please ask that the media respect our privacy.”