Police launch double homicide probe after mom and son discovered useless

Detectives have launched a double murder investigation after a mother and her son were found dead at their £1 million home in an idyllic village.

Locals named the victims as Maria Ricotta, 53, and her son Guiseppe Morreale, 29, and said they ‘kept themselves to themselves’.

Police were today continuing to interview a 63-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of their murder.

Mother-of-three Mrs Ricotta lived with her builder husband Calogero in leafy Ugley, Essex, while her son – one of two children from a previous marriage – is thought to have lived nearby.

White-suited police forensic officers were working inside a front room today at the detached cream-coloured property with outbuildings and an adjoining field.

Maria Ricotta, 53, was identified by neighbours after she and Guiseppe Morreale, 29, understood to be her son, were discovered dead at her home

A neighbour described Mrs Ricotta as ‘a lovely lady’ and her son as a ‘sweet young man’

A single marked police car was parked in the driveway, with a police community support officer inside.

A digger could be seen in the back garden, while children’s toys including a slide and upturned goalposts were in the front garden, below a terrace lined with plant pots.

Floral tributes for Mrs Ricotta and her son were left at the gateway to the house by well-wishers.

One bunch of mixed blooms had a hand-written note stuck to it, saying: ‘To my beautiful friend Maria, words cannot describe how we are all feeling. Tragically and brutally taken away from us all.

‘Your son by your side defending you, Giuseppe a true hero. May you both rest in peace together. Miss you so very much. Love you always, xx Salvina xx.’

A neighbour, who asked not to be identified, said: ‘They used to have chickens and I would buy eggs from Maria a few years ago.

‘They loved their animals and they also had rabbits and husky dogs, as well as a field which had sheep and goats. All the animals were well looked after.

‘The lad who died was her son. He was her husband’s stepson. All I know about the husband is that he is Italian.

‘She was a lovely lady and I cannot believe what has happened. I am just stunned. She was just a nice, average mum.

‘The husband was a builder. He built all the outbuildings and the sheds where they kept the dogs and did a damn good job. He was forever working.

‘I don’t think her son had a very good relationship with his stepfather and he moved out a few years ago. He was a very sweet young man.’

Describing the scene when police turned up on Tuesday night, the woman added: ‘We were in bed and my husband noticed a lot of emergency vehicles going by. Then we realised that the emergency lights were continually flashing.

‘There were multiple emergency vehicles outside Maria’s house. I thought a deer had come off the field and caused a crash.’

The pair were found dead in the small village of Ugley, close to Bishop’s Stortford

Another neighbour said the deaths were ‘shocking’, adding: ‘She was a nice lady, friendly and that.’

Mrs Ricotta was company secretary of her husband’s firm, C.R Building Maintenance.

The village of Ugley, near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, has a population of around 450 and is known for its 16th and 17th century buildings.

It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Ugghelea. The name is believed to mean ‘woodland clearing of a man named Ugga’.

Essex Police said in a statement said: ‘A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of two people in Ugley, near Bishop’s Stortford.

‘We received a call at 9.50pm on Tuesday reporting two people had been seriously injured at an address in Cambridge Road.

‘When officers attended, they found a woman in her 50s and a man in his 20s injured and, sadly, they were pronounced dead at the scene.

‘A 63-year-old man from Ugley has been arrested on suspicion of their murder and is currently in custody.’

Detective Inspector Lydia George added: ‘My thoughts are with the loved ones of the two people who were killed in Ugley.

‘This will be an unimaginably difficult time for them and they will be supported by specialist officers.

‘I know this incident will cause concern among within the local community but I want to reassure them that we have a team of experienced detectives and staff investigating.

‘At this stage we do not believe this incident poses a risk to the wider public and we’re not looking for anyone else in connection with it.’

The force is appealing for help from anyone with information relating to the incident.