Scottish police say a former Lakewood man is “heartbroken” after his three children were fatally stabbed and his estranged wife then critically injured in a 40-foot fall from a terrace.
Detectives in Edinburgh, Scotland, are waiting to question Theresa Riggi, 46, who was in intensive care.
The bodies of twin brothers Luca and Austin, 8, and their sister Cecelia, 5, were found in one room of a three-story home after emergency crews were called to investigate a smell of gas and the sound of an explosion.
Firefighters put out a small blaze on the first floor.
Riggi, originally from California, is married to Pasquale Riggi, 46, who grew up in Lakewood and graduated from Regis Jesuit High School.
The Riggis were going through a divorce and involved in a custody dispute.
Pasquale Riggi has worked for Shell Oil since 1987. He has lived in Aberdeen and has been in Scotland for 13 years, police said.
Regis Jesuit High School said in a statement it “is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic situation involving our alumnus Pasquale Riggi.”
Longtime neighbors said Pasquale and his sister grew up in a Lakewood home where their parents still live. Pasquale was described as a “polite” and “quiet” young man. “The type of kid who never caused any problems,” said one neighbor, who asked not to be named and asked for privacy for the family.
Visitors came and went at the family’s home on a quiet cul-de-sac. Reporters were told the family did not wish to speak with them.
Witnesses in Edinburgh said they had pleaded in vain with the sobbing Theresa Riggi not to jump.
One eyewitness said Riggi screamed “My children, my children” before jumping.
The Associated Press, Press Association Scotland and the Evening Express of Aberdeen, Scotland, contributed to this report.
