Mother charged with murder over deaths of three children found in blaze flat

Luca Riggi, his twin brother Augustino and little sister Cecilia were found dead after a fire in a flat in Edinburgh

Theresa Riggi: The 46-year-old remains in a 'serious but stable' condition in hospital

A mother was last night arrested and charged with murder in connection with the deaths of three children found in a flat.
Theresa Riggi, 46, remained in a ‘serious but stable’ condition in hospital last night as police said postmortems had been concluded following the deaths of her eight-year-old twins, Austin and Luke, and Cecilia, aged five.
The developments came after the father of the youngsters, Pasquale Riggi, spoke for the first time of his ‘immense and tragic loss.’
In a statement released via Lothian and Borders Police, Mr Riggi, said: ‘Our family is struggling to come to terms with the immense and tragic loss of three beautiful children. Thanks to all who have offered such great comfort and support.’
He then requested privacy ‘at this difficult time.’
Firefighters called out to deal with a possible gas explosion at a flat in Edinburgh made the horrifying discovery of the youngsters’ bodies on Wednesday afternoon.
However, it is understood that the children did not die as a result of any explosion or a small fire in the flat. Police would not comment on the cause of death yesterday.
Mr Riggi’s estranged wife was found seriously injured outside the same property after jumping from a second-floor balcony. Detectives were yesterday waiting to question her in hospital.
Due to the medical condition of the accused, it is not known when she will appear in court.

Yesterday, it emerged she had previously told friends her children would ‘always come first.’
In a message written last year, she wrote: ‘I treasure every moment spent with them and marvel at their development - I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
The American born couple, who are said to have been living in Scotland for the past 13 years, were in the middle of a bitter custody battle.
In mid-July, Mrs Riggi was subject to a missing persons enquiry when she fled the marital home in Skene, Aberdeenshire, and was traced to Edinburgh.

Flat: Theresa Riggi was found seriously injured after jumping or falling from the second floor balcony of the flat
Police confirmed they had spoken to Mrs Riggi on July 21, at the same address on Slateford Road where the bodies were found earlier this week, and she and her three children were said to be ‘safe and well.’
But she failed to attend a custody hearing at the Court of Session on Tuesday and in her absence her husband’s counsel David Jack asked for a ruling safeguarding the children’s interests.
The judge, Lady Clark, ordered that social workers should supervise the children and apply to a sheriff for child protection orders if they thought it necessary.
But social workers said they did not learn of the instruction until 3.05pm on Wednesday, by which time the children were already dead.
Lady Clark had also issued an order intended to force Mrs Riggi in to court for a hearing about the future of the children, but it was yesterday confirmed that the legal battle between the Riggis has officially been put on hold.
Scottish Labour has called for an investigation into the deaths.
Labour’s Community Safety spokesman James Kelly said: ‘This is a tragic event and one that has shocked Scotland. The police will need time to complete their work but then there will need to be a full investigation into the events surrounding this case. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the children at this time.’
It is thought Mrs Riggi, a violinist who also taught music to beginners, ran a video production company in Denver, Colorado before moving to Europe.
Her 46-year-old husband, originally from Colorado, has worked for oil firm Shell since 1987 and has been in Aberdeen for a number of years.
The couple moved to the UK in 1997 living in Corton, near Lowestoft on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, and in Zevenhuizen in the Netherlands.
They were married in Mrs Riggi’s hometown of Bakersfield, California, in September 1989, but in recent years, the relationship had deteriorated.
A police spokesman said last night: ‘Lothian and Borders Police can confirm that a 46-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the petition warrant which was granted earlier today.