Three corpses, an elderly mother
and her two middle-aged children, a man and a woman, were found
in an advanced state of decomposition in a house near Florence
on Wednesday.
Police said the woman had died of cancer while the son and her
sister committed suicide by overdosing on medicine and stabbing
themselves - though it is possible that the brother killed his
sister before taking his own life.
The deaths date to about a month and a half ago.
The discovery was made at Figline Valdarno.
Cause of death is as yet unknown.
The discovery was made by firefighters who were called in to
open the house door.
Autopsies have been ordered.
The trio were said to have been a 77-year-old mother and her two
children aged 51 and 46, who had come back from Venezuela a
couple of years ago.
They were named as Luigia Teresa Etteri, 77; Massimo Giovannella
Del Bianco, 51; and Francesca Giovannella Del Bianco, 46.
Police have seized a knife that may have been used by the
children.
The three had not been seen for many days, and the door was
locked from the inside.
A neighbour called police after detecting a bad smell coming out
of the flat.
They were said to be reserved and polite in their conversations
while walking along the main road in the town.
Residents said they spoke Italian with a northern accent.
The woman had confided in neighbours that her husband had died
some time ago.
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