FILICIDE? (multiple): UK: Fiona Anderson's 3 children found dead after her suicide

Mother who fell to her death before her three children aged 3, 2, and 11 months were found dead at her home 'was heavily pregnant and had just split from her boyfriend'

• Three children discovered after woman died after a fall in Lowestoft
• She has been locally identified as Fiona Anderson
• It is believed she had recently split from father Craig McLelland
• Friends say she was heavily pregnant when she died
• Suffolk Police say they are treating the children's deaths as suspicious
• Post-mortem on children will take place this evening

By MARTIN ROBINSON and SAM WEBB

PUBLISHED: 15:38 GMT, 15 April 2013 | UPDATED: 19:38 GMT, 15 April 2013

A young mother plunged to her death from a multi-storey car park today before her three young children were found dead in her flat.

The woman who was named locally as Fiona Anderson, aged in her early 20s, is believed to have been heavily pregnant.

Suffolk Police closed off Gordon Road in Lowestoft, Suffolk, just after 8am when the woman was found with fatal head injuries.

The incident led officers to a basement flat in nearby London Road South three hours later, where the bodies of her three children were discovered.

Grief: Craig McClelland, the father of the three dead children, at the scene. The mother is believed to have committed suicide by jumping from a multi-storey car park this morning

Support: Mr McClelland is comforted by a friend as he surveys the growing mountain of tributes

Distraught: The pair had three children together and are believed to have recently split up

Friends described her as a 'brilliant mother' who was devoted to her children Levina, three, Addy, two and an 11-month-old son. But they thought she had been depressed after recently splitting up with her boyfriend Craig McLelland, the father of her children.

One friend said she had heard that Miss Anderson had left a despairing message on her Facebook page on Sunday night, saying: 'My babies will go with me.'

Police are keeping an 'open mind' about the four deaths, but it is believed they are investigating a theory that she killed her children before jumping 40ft to her death.

The ground floor flat in an end terrace Victorian block was cordoned off by police today while officers searched for clues.

The body of the woman was found a short distance from the property where the three dead children were found

Investigation: Police outside the house on London Road South where the three children were found

Deaths: Police have sealed off this multi-storey car park in Lowestoft today after a woman fell to her death here, which led officers to discover her three children dead at home

It is though that Miss Anderson had lived alone in the flat with her children for several years.

Shocked neighbours and friends were last night putting teddy bears, cuddly toys and flowers on a makeshift shrine outside the flat as a mark of respect.

Mr McLelland, who also lives in Lowestoft, arrived at the flat just before 7.30pm and wept while being supported by two friends.

He choked back tears as he told reporters: 'I have just lost my family. My children are dead. What would you be feeling?

'I found out this morning when I got a phone call saying somebody had committed suicide and I had a feeling who it was.'

Tribute: The mountain of cuddly toys at the property grew as people in the town arrived to pay their respects

Remembrance: A police community support officer joined those laying tributes to the children

The three children's bodies were taken to the James Paget Hospital at Gorleston for post-mortem examinations

After looking at the growing pile of cuddly toys outside the flat, he added: 'It is really touching to see that people care.'

Asked if he had recently split up with Miss Anderson, he refused to comment.

Police are awaiting the results of post-mortems by a Home Office pathologist carried out at the James Paget Hospital, Gorleston near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

Det Supt John Brocklebank of the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team described the deaths as 'an awful tragedy'.

The property is a basement flat on the corner of Grosvenor Road and London Road South, a short distance from the sea

He said: 'We are in the early stages of a large investigation to try and work out exactly what has happened.

'It is too early to be able to come up with a definitive explanation and we will be keeping an open mind.

'We are treating the deaths of the children as suspicious, but from our initial enquiries we do not believe there is any threat to the wider community. 

'Our priorities now are to establish the circumstances behind the woman's death and how it may be related to the deaths of the three children.'

Mr Brocklebank said police were first alerted by a 999 call from a member of the public who found a woman lying on the ground beside the car park with what appeared to be serious injuries.

Plunge: The town centre car park the woman is believed to have fallen from

The car park is less than a mile away from the flat where the woman's children were found dead

He added: "At this stage we are trying to find out if anyone saw her fall or jump or be pushed. We believe we have got some witnesses who might have seen her falling.

'Emergency services including ambulances and an air ambulance arrived and they did what they could to try and resuscitate her, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead at the scene.

'We managed to identify the lady concerned which led us to the address. Police officers gained access at 11.20am and the bodies of the children were tragically found inside.

'I don't want to speculate about how they died and where the bodies were in the property. We believe she was the mother of the young children.

Probe: Police say the investigation is in preliminary stages and have not formally identified the woman or the children

'At this stage we are keeping an open mind about what happened and we must maintain that open mind. At this time, I don't want to speculate on whether a third party was involved or not.'

Mr Brocklebank said the car park would remain closed so that police could make a forensic search for clues.

He added: 'These are the most tragic circumstances you can imagine and we are looking after the welfare of the officers involved.

'But a family have lost some very precious children and are needs are secondary to the family of the deceased.'

The deaths of the children are being treated as suspicious but police say they believe there is 'no threat to the wider community'

Karleigh Burlingham, 20, who lives knew Miss Anderson, said: 'She was a lovely person. She just didn't seem the sort of mother to do this. It is devastating that three innocent little children have died.

'I knew her for three or four years and I thought she was a brilliant mother. She must have been going through a very tough time. We just cannot believe it.

'Her kids were healthy and well brought up. Fiona was outgoing and friendly. She would talk to anyone and she was very laid back.

'But her boyfriend left her about a month or so ago for someone else. She was heavily pregnant with a baby girl due next month. I fell out with her about a month ago and have not really seen her since then. 

'She was friendly with my sister Kayleigh and she sent a Facebook message to her last night , saying that she was down and had nobody to talk to. My sister said she would talk to her if she wanted.'

Another friend said: 'We heard she put a status on her Facebook page last night, saying, "My babies will go with me".

'I don't think anyone thought she would harm herself, let alone her children. Why kill your kids and then yourself. It is just awful.'

Suffolk Police are appealing for anyone who has information that may help the investigation to contact police on 101.
For confidential support about depression, call the Samaritans on 0845 790 9090 or visit a local Samaritans branch. Or click here to visit the charity's website.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2309426/Lowestoft-death-Mother-fell-death-children-aged-3-2-11-months-dead-home-heavily-pregnant-just-split-boyfriend.html#ixzz2QYxJss5G
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