Dead twins 'could not have been more cherished'

The twins' great aunt Mai Malaulau (pictured right with Tali Malaulau) read a statement on behalf of their family. Picture / Mark Mitchell

The three-month-old twins found dead in Porirua brought a beautiful presence into their family's lives and "could not have been more wanted and cherished", relatives of the baby girls have said.

The parents of Sapphire Joyce and Serenity Aroha Steel found the girls' bodies yesterday in their Titahi Bay home and called the ambulance service, who alerted police about 10.30am. Police launched a homicide investigation.

However, a post-mortem examination found no signs of injury on the girls' and police today said they were referring the deaths to the coroner.

At a media conference at the Porirua police station this afternoon, the twins' great aunt Mai Malaulau read out a statement on behalf of five close relatives.

"We want you to know that Sapphire and Serenity fought hard to get into this world. We as a family fought hard to bring them into this world. The parents of Sapphire and Serenity led that fight," she said.

"Sapphire and Serenity could not have been more wanted and cherished by their parents and by us, their family. No family would ever want to go through such a tragedy.

"Serenity was only just starting to focus and her eyes able to follow us around the room. Sapphire was alert and they both brought such a beautiful presence into our lives.

"We are proud of our nephew and niece - the parents of Sapphire and Serenity. They approached parenthood with maturity and commitment. They, and we, now need space to grieve."

Announcing the results of the post-mortem earlier, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said: "There was no sign of trauma or injury and the cause of death will be determined by the coroner."

Yesterday he said the death would be referred to the coroner if the deaths were not suspicious.

Police are making inquiries on behalf of the coroner, and expect to finish their scene examination today. They have said the twins' parents will not be named.

- NZHERALD STAFF