Janbaz Tarin, 21, is being sought over the killings of his former partner, Raneem Oudeh, and her mother, Khaola Saleem.
Detectives said they had been following a number of lines of enquiry to trace Tarin, but he had not yet been arrested.
Police were called to a road in Solihull near Birmingham shortly after 12.30am on Monday and discovered the women, aged 22 and 49, with serious stab wounds. They were confirmed dead at the scene.
West Midlands police confirmed they had previously had contact with the victim and her family and that the force had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The women’s family said in a statement: “Our family is devastated with the loss of our loved ones.
“We would like to give thanks for all the love and support we have received. We kindly request that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.”
Neighbours described hearing screams in the early hours of the morning. One woman said she saw a man leaving the scene in a van. A neighbour told BirminghamLive: “I thought it was foxes screaming. She was absolutely screaming her head off. He wasn’t speaking English. He shouted something and then ran off.
“There was a lot of screaming and shouting and then I saw the guy run off. About a minute later I saw him leave in a van.”
Another neighbour said he had been woken at about 12.30am by screaming, but assumed it was people returning home from a night out. “Then police knocked on my door and asked for some towels, so I knew at that point it was serious,” he said. “I’ve got a young family so I was worried about what was going on.”
Forensics tents were erected on the front lawn of Saleem’s home, which was cordoned off by police tape as friends and relatives gathered at the scene.
It is understood the victims were originally from Syria and had lived in the UK for about 16 years.
DI Caroline Corfield, leading the investigation, said: “We’ve been working flat out to apprehend Tarin since the early hours of this morning, following up a number of lines of enquiry.
“As we have so far not been able to locate Tarin, I’m now asking for the public’s help in tracing him.”
Ch Supt Bas Javid, Solihull policing commander, said: “Tragedies like this are incredibly rare, but that does not do anything to diminish the awful nature of what has happened in Solihull today.
“I’m sure the thoughts of everyone in the borough and beyond will be with the family and friends of Raneem and Khaola.
“We’ll support them through the difficult times ahead, and will continue to work with the community to provide reassurance and support wherever it’s needed.”
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