Family murdered in 'safe' US town

The murdered bodies of a jeweller, his mother and his three children were discovered last night in in a town hitherto regarded as one of the safest in the US.

Marco Pesce, 38, his mother, Maria Vergati, who was visiting from Italy , and the jeweller’s three children, Melissa, six, Sabrina, nine, and Carlo, 12, were found in the ransacked home.

Police, who originally had said Pesce’s wife was unaccounted for, later said he was divorced.

“This is the worst crime that’s ever happened in Livonia,” said the Michigan town’s Mayor Jack Kirksey. “I feel physically sick.”

Police Chief Peter Kunst said robbery was the probable motive. “We’re operating under a theory that it was not a random crime,” he added.

Police discovered the bodies after receiving a call from someone asking that they check on the house, he said.

Neighbour Phil Pegoraro said many families living on the street are first- and second-generation Italian-Americans. He said Pesce, appeared friendly and ”pretty jovial.”

The FBI in June ranked Livonia, 20 miles from Detroit, as one of the nation’s safest towns with more than 100,000 residents, based on 2001 crime statistics. Murders are rare, but statistics from 2002 may tell a different story.

In July, a former steakhouse employee was charged with murdering two people at the restaurant. Earlier this month, two men were shot in a bowling alley car park.