A father took a chilling last selfie with his 12-year-old twin children just hours before he murdered them and took his own life.
The Instagram photo shows Mario Bressi, 45, smiling with his daughter Elena and son Diego during a trip to the mountains in northern Italy, along with a caption that reads: “With my children, always together.”
Bressi is said to have sent WhatsApp messages to his estranged wife telling her "you have destroyed a family" and she would never see her children again.
Police suspect Bressi strangled Elena and smothered Diego with a pillow while they were sleeping in their beds at a holiday home.
It is suspected the dad waited until the twins had fallen asleep so he did not have to look them in the eye as he killed them, local media reported.
After killing his children on Friday night or Saturday morning, the dad send messages to the twins' mother.
He then jumped off a bridge near a holiday home in the village of Margno in the region of Lombardy.
Italian authorities are investigating whether Elene and Diego were drugged before they fell asleep and whether the double murder was premeditated.
Bressi reportedly sent WhatsApp messages to his wife, who he was separated from, which said she will never see her children again.
One message reportedly said: “You have destroyed a family.”
Upon receiving the messages, the mother, identified as Daniela Fumagalli, rushed to where the children were staying and found them already dead, according to local media.
The couple had reportedly been suffering marital problems for around two years.
The husband had never displayed violent behaviour in the past, local media were told.
Police found the children's mobile phones discarded. The father's mobile has not been found.
Post-mortem results have not yet been revealed.
The police investigation continues.
