A mother today paid tribute to her husband and three boys after all four were found dead in an apparent ‘murder-suicide’ at home in a quiet Surrey neighbourhood.
Piotr Swiderski, 31, died at the house in Staines-Upon-Thames last Saturday along with their children Dominik, three, and two-year-old twins Nikodem and Kacper.
Angelika Swiderska, Piotr’s wife and mother of the three boys, said in a statement today: ‘Piotr was an amazing husband and father to Kacper, Nikodem and Dominik.
‘He loved us with all his heart and would have done anything for us. The children doted on their daddy.
‘Our boys were happy, active children, full of life and happiness. They were always smiling and even when I looked sad, they would say ‘Mummy smile like us’.
‘We are grieving for them all and would like to ask for privacy as we try to understand why this tragedy happened.
‘I would like to say a huge thank you to all our community for all the messages of condolence, flowers, cards, and teddy bears and for all the kind words about our family.’
Police discovered the bodies of the young Polish family in a property on Bremer Road at around 1.15pm on Saturday.
A floral tribute left outside the house on Sunday read: ‘Rest in peace little ones. We will always think of you.’
An investigation is being carried out to establish the circumstances of their deaths, though police believe it was an isolated incident with no third-party involvement.
Mr Swiderski, believed to be a Polish national, posted a picture of his honeymoon in the Dominican Republic on Instagram in 2019, and a picture of his wife when she was eight months pregnant in 2020 with the caption: ‘Can’t wait to meet you, son.’
Next-door neighbour Shehr Sikandari, 48, said he heard a woman’s screams coming from the two-bedroom, semi-detached house before police cars arrived on Saturday afternoon.
He said: ‘They were quite horrific screams and everyone came out to see what was happening. It is unbelievable and traumatic. We are still in shock.
‘It’s a lovely family and they were three lovely children. I haven’t met the dad much, but the children and their mum were full of life. They often used to a walk in the park and go out on their bikes.’
The residential street, which lies close to a main road, is home to around 40 houses. Neighbours described it as a quiet, friendly neighbourhood.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: ‘There’s never any trouble around here. There was nothing to indicate that something like this was going to happen – no rows, no noise, nothing.’
Another neighbour said: ‘They were a perfect family, lovely kids. He was a nice guy and his wife was really nice. No one on the street knows why (this happened), but we can’t believe it – it’s horrific.’
The children’s mother and their next of kin are aware and being supported by specialist officers.
DCI Gareth Hicks, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘This is a truly tragic incident and a thorough investigation is underway to establish exactly what happened.
‘We would like to thank the local community for their support and understanding whilst we have been conducting our enquiries.’
Post-mortems and formal identification will take place in due course.
Surrey Police has also completed a mandatory referral to the police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous police contact with those involved.
An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘We have been notified by Surrey Police about the tragic incident in Spelthorne. We will be assessing a referral from the force to decide whether any action is required by the IOPC.’