Divorce war mum stabs three kids

Wasn't sure where to post this. (mods please move). Another tragic case

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3083078/Divorce-war-mum-stabs-3-kids.html

By IRINA NELSON, Crime Reporter, DOUGLAS WALKER, GORDON TAIT, MYRA PHILP and KENNY ANGOVE

Published: Today
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A MUM feared to have stabbed her three young children to death before hurling herself from a balcony yesterday was involved in a bitter custody fight over the youngsters.


Horrified neighbours watched as sobbing Theresa Riggi - who is embroiled in a divorce battle with husband Pasquale - plummeted 40ft from the second floor of the terraced house in Edinburgh.

Last night it emerged cops had been searching for the mum, who went on the run with the children - twin brothers Gianluca and Augustino, eight, and their five-year-old sister Cecilia - from her home in Skene, Aberdeenshire.

Balcony leap ... Riggi was injured
Balcony leap ... Riggi was injured
A Lothian and Borders cop source said: "They had been reported missing from the north east and there was cause for concern.

"It has been a very high-profile investigation by Grampian Police.

"The children were at the centre of a bitter custody battle. This is a tragic set of circumstances."

Officers were last night waiting to quiz Riggi who is seriously injured.

It is thought she had turned on the gas and tried to torch the property in the capital - but a worried local raised the alarm after smelling the fumes.

When emergency teams arrived at the scene, they found the 46-year-old mum lying badly hurt outside the terraced house.

Fire crews raced inside to tackle the small blaze - then discovered a sickening scene of horror.

Gianluca and Augustino and sister Cecilia were found lying dead in the blood-soaked living room after being repeatedly stabbed.

A source said: "It was a horrific scene.

"The kids were lying on the floor with stab wounds and there was blood all over the floor.

Alert ... 999 crews raced to property in Edinburgh
Alert ... 999 crews raced to property in Edinburgh

"The woman was crumpled in a heap outside the house with numerous cuts and broken bones.

"Initially there were reports of a gas explosion, but investigations ruled that out." Riggi was being treated in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where her condition was reported to be serious but stable.

Emergency services had arrived at the scene after a 999 caller reported the smell of gas.

Ambulance crews and police also headed to the house in the Slateford area of the city and discovered the harrowing scene.

One shaken neighbour told how he watched Riggi plunge from the balcony after a handyman stumbled on the chilling bloodbath inside the house.

The 21-year-old, who didn't want to be named, said: "I was sitting in my living room and I heard screaming. It was really bad, big screaming - the sort you would only do if a death or something very, very bad had happened. I went outside and I saw her on the balcony.

"I went into the house and there was a smell of gas. A handyman who was with me went upstairs and I went outside.

"When the handyman came back out again he was crying. I don't know what he saw - and I don't want to know."

The neighbour told how other worried locals pleaded with Riggi not to jump - then tried to save her as she crashed to the ground.

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He said: "She was standing on the balcony.

"She was holding her arms, like she was already injured. She was crying and screaming.

"There were about five of us standing, saying to her 'don't do it, don't jump'. Then she jumped off.

"My neighbour tried to catch her and she kind of landed in his arms. She was lying on the floor and I left the scene - it was all just too much for me."

Engineering student Fatth Hamami, 19, lives around 100 yards from the townhouses where the tragedy happened. He said: "I was asleep in bed when I heard a bang - it was really loud, it was massive.

"I jumped up and ran outside. I could see smoke coming out of the second floor window - it was really thick.

"The emergency services were here really quickly and they moved us all inside the cordon. I saw the woman in the back of the ambulance. She was knocked out and very still."

Last night Lothian and Borders Police confirmed a criminal investigation had been launched into the deaths of tragic youngsters Gianluca - known as Luca - Augustino, also called Austin, and Cecilia. Riggi had fled with the kids from her home on July 11 - sparking a major cop search.

Investigation ... police officers outside scene of yesterday's stabbing horror

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3083078/Divorce-war-mum-stabs-3-kids.html#ixzz0vj6Cv9Cv

Sickening. I just want to cry. RIP poor kids. xxx

Here they are, the three children just doing something ordinary that most of our kids do: gazing, probably at the telly or watching a DVD. The Sun is the only site I have seen that gives details about the children's cause of death. Sky News just says that a post-mortem is to be carried out later on today.

Sky News

This is so sad when a custody battle leads to a parent taking their children's lives. I have no way of understanding this kind of decision and action.

I thought they reported that it was a gas explosion?

I did wonder that if it was a gas explosion that there was NO damage to the house or the other houses..

kitti wrote:I did wonder that if it was a gas explosion that there was NO damage to the house or the other houses..

Didn't the Sun say that it looked like she'd tried to set fire to the place?

Yes, today they have said that but all day yesterday sky were stating that it was a GAS EXPLOSION...but i also remember thinking that the reporter said that no person has been evactuated from the scene and they would if it was gas.


It all fits into place now...

kitti wrote:Yes, today they have said that but all day yesterday sky were stating that it was a GAS EXPLOSION...but i also remember thinking that the reporter said that no person has been evactuated from the scene and they would if it was gas.


It all fits into place now...

I honestly don't know what goes through peoples minds, first to murder your own children then try and make it look like an accident, she didn't have much sense or know about forensics. Nor did she do a good job of finishing herself off, evil cow.

It seems every week we are now hearing of parents killing their children. What is going on? Is this the affects of the recession where lack of money is causing the break-up of families and sending people do-lally?

This story is heart-breaking. How could a mother stab her own children.

According to the Scotsman to-day [ Edinburgh paper ] neighours heard an explosion which
shook the building. The mother was on the balcony hysterical and neighbours shouted at
her to calm her but she hurtled over and dropped 40ft to the ground. Smoke was billowing
down the stairs and everyone was evacuated. So far nothing about stabbing. PM will be
carried out later to-day.

A Detective Inspector this moring gave a Press briefing and said the Couple are American, the Father was in
Aberdeen but is now in Edinburgh helping Police with their enquiries, but not considered a suspect.

The Mother is seriously ill and has not yet been interviewed.

It appears the mother, Theresa Riggi and the three children went missing from
their home in Aberdeen 3 weeks ago. The police caught up with them in Edinburgh
where Mrs Riggi asked that their whereabouts should not be divulged. Obviously
running from her husband as there appears to be a custody battle going on.

What the h.ll's the matter with these people who take their children's lives when
they manage to make a complete b.lls of their own lives!! I do dispair!!

[quote="RIORITA"]It appears the mother, Theresa Riggi and the three children went missing from
their home in Aberdeen 3 weeks ago. The police caught up with them in Edinburgh
where Mrs Riggi asked that their whereabouts should not be divulged. Obviously
running from her husband as there appears to be a custody battle going on.

What the h.ll's the matter with these people who take their children's lives when
they manage to make a complete b.lls of their own lives!! I do dispair!![/quote

RIORITA

I know, it"s the most selfish thing any mother can do and beggars belief. If that young lad is correct and the
handyman says there was blood all over the place, those children must have had a terrifying ordeal before
they died, unless they were sedated first. RIP little ones, your Mother will have to live with this for the rest of her life.

Panda I just feel that there seems to be an awful lot of this going
on. For the life of me I do not understand it. As a Mother
the instinct is to PROTECT your family from any kind of harm.
It just seems it's all ME ME ME. An animal would protect there
young better than some parents.

Apparently someone ran into the room where the children were and it wasnt a pretty sight!

RIORITA wrote:Panda I just feel that there seems to be an awful lot of this going
on. For the life of me I do not understand it. As a Mother
the instinct is to PROTECT your family from any kind of harm.
It just seems it's all ME ME ME. An animal would protect there
young better than some parents.

It"s because of the custody battle and the Mother must have been worried she might not have custody that she
thought "well if I can"t have them, he won"t either.".........selfish,. selfish, selfish.

Panda wrote:

RIORITA wrote:Panda I just feel that there seems to be an awful lot of this going
on. For the life of me I do not understand it. As a Mother
the instinct is to PROTECT your family from any kind of harm.
It just seems it's all ME ME ME. An animal would protect there
young better than some parents.

It"s because of the custody battle and the Mother must have been worried she might not have custody that she
thought "well if I can"t have them, he won"t either.".........selfish,. selfish, selfish.

Spot on Panda, but my G.d what a world we live in!

I try to be open-minded and not to judge others too harshly, but I cannot understand how anyone can do something as cruel to their three innocent children. How terrifying for the poor kids and how awful their father must be feeling now. It just seems to be utterly self-centred.

fedrules wrote:I try to be open-minded and not to judge others too harshly, but I cannot understand how anyone can do something as cruel to their three innocent children. How terrifying for the poor kids and how awful their father must be feeling now. It just seems to be utterly self-centred.

I share those thoughts fedrules. There are witnesses who said they heard screaming and there's the handyman who came out of the house crying. It must have been a pretty awful scene. I hope the mother is kept on close suicide watch if/when she recovers so that she will have to face a court of law for what she did.

I just don't understand how any mother or father can harm or kill their children, and the awful thing is it is happening time and time again years ago you never heard of anything like this happening what is going on, it make you sick when you hear what parents can do their children for that to have happened to them beautiful children, if the mother did kill them what was the mother thinking off

They lived in Westhills, which is a middle-class suburb of Abereen - lots of oil workers live out there. I have friends who stay there too, I'll ask around and see what I can find out.

I cannot understand this at all how could she???????

I think we have our children and our grand children around us, but to be honest I wonder what state of mind we would be in if all of a sudden someone told us we are never going to see our children again, or our grand children and that we would never be part of their lives.

It is so easy for us to comment and wonder how she could do this but until we are in that situation do we actually know what torment she must have been under knowing that she could be losing her children. Just imagine having to put your children to bed at night and spend the day with them and then having the knowledge that at a later date they could be removed from you and you would not be doing what you are doing ever again.

We are talking about this as sane rational people, but her state of mind must have been irrational and a complete mixture of torment, dread, fear, anguish etc.

Sky News

A judge warned that three children caught up in a custody battle were in need of protection - just 24 hours before they were found dead, it has emerged.

When their mother failed to turn up to a divorce hearing in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Judge Lady Clark told social services the youngsters may need help.

She ordered the court's Messengers at Arms to search for 46-year-old Theresa Riggi and instructed social services to supervise the children and file for special protection orders if necessary.

But on Wednesday, the bodies of twin boys Augustino and Gianluca Riggi, eight, and their five-year-old sister Cecilia Riggi were found in a block of flats.

Firefighters made the discovery when they were responding to reports of a gas leak and an explosion in the city.

Mrs Riggi is said to have jumped from the third floor. She is currently sedated and in a serious but stable condition at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Detectives are treating the children's deaths as suspicious and police are waiting to speak to the mother.

Officers have warned, however, that it is too early to determine the cause of death. A criminal investigation has been launched.

Detective Superintendent Allan Jones said: "First and foremost our thoughts are with the children's family, and we are doing what we can to support them at this tragic time."

He added: "We are not in a position to speak to the woman yet and we will take advice from her doctors as to when that can happen.

"We would like to do that to get a true background to the events of yesterday and find out exactly what happened within the house."

Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter said neighbours reported smelling gas in the early hours and then hearing a bang later in the day.

Police said investigations have shown there was no fault with the gas supply at the modern apartment block.

"Neighbours said she was on the balcony shouting and screaming," Parmenter said.

Neighbour Fattah Hamami, 19, said: "I think she dropped herself from the third-floor balcony."

Omar Barifah, 20, added: "I've been told by neighbours she jumped."

Mrs Riggi is in a serious but stable condition and is heavily sedated.

"Sky sources understand that Mrs Riggi has been at the centre of a custody dispute with the children's father," Parmenter said.

It emerged that Mrs Riggi and her children had been reported missing from their home in Skene, Aberdeenshire on July 4, before being at the rented flat in Edinburgh on July 21.

Police have confirmed they had dealings with Mrs Riggi at that time and are investigating what other involvement officers may have had with her.

"This is a sad set of circumstances," Parmenter said.

The children's father, Pasquale Riggi, 46, was in Aberdeen when informed of their deaths by police.

He has been interviewed by officers and provided background information but is not a suspect.

Mr Riggi has worked for oil giant Shell since 1987 and has lived in the country for 13 years.

In a statement, Shell said: "This is obviously a human tragedy of proportions that most of us find hard to comprehend and our thoughts are with Pasquale and his family."

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on the children."

Beggars belief that a mother could do that to her children. Bless them.