Rich Dad 'Bashed Baby Beauty'
THIS beaming baby is tragic Yanire Izaga — alleged to have been beaten to death by her millionaire father.
The picture of the tot was released last night as it was claimed that she was killed after her doting dad “flipped” because of stress at work.
Insurance chief Alberto Izaga, 36, was said to have punched and kicked Yanire with such force it fractured her skull.
Last night his brother-in-law Rolando Vincente said: “The whole family is in shock.
“We are at a loss to understand how this could happen or how Alberto could do this.
“To us Alberto was the perfect gentleman. He was a great father and loved his daughter.
“The only explanation that we can imagine is that he was under terrible stress at work and flipped.”
Smiles before tragedy ... Yanire held by her loving mother Ligia
Speaking outside his home in Connecticut, US, Rolando said Yanire’s mother, Ligia, 35, was in “terrible, total shock” and barely able to speak.
Police believe Ligia saw the alleged attack and tried in vain to defend her daughter.
The devastated mum is now in hospital in London.
Rolando said: “She has hardly spoken to anybody. The whole family is devastated. Yanire was a lovely girl. They visited here only a few weeks ago and they seemed so happy.
“They seemed like the perfect family.”
Ligia’s divorced mother, Matilde, who lives with Rolando, had flown to England to comfort her daughter.
Yanire was found bleeding from the nose, mouth and ears on Sunday after neighbours heard screams from the family’s £1 million flat near the Houses of Parliament, overlooking the Thames.
Wedding day ... Ligia with Alberto - but now she is heartbroken
The tot went into a coma and died in hospital on Tuesday. Izaga was arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The Spanish-born tycoon, recently promoted to the executive board of insurance giant Swiss Re, remains under suicide watch.
He could now face a murder charge over the toddler’s death.
Izaga met his wife when they both worked for General Electric in Connecticut.
She was born on the island of Fogo, Cape Verde, off the west African coast, and had moved to the US.
She works in business development and has a background in mergers and acquisitions.
Family friend Maria Rocha said: “I think she will not stay in London after this. I think her mother will not allow it.
“Ligia and her father are also close. She telephones him every week. She returned in 2002 on a holiday from America but has not been back to Fogo since moving to London.
“He was due to see her this summer with her husband and baby. Now everything is gone.”
Orlando ... shocked
Ligia’s dad, Orlando Vicente, 60, was inconsolable last night as the shock of his grand-daughter’s death sank in.
He said at his home on Fogo: “No, no. I cannot believe it.” Referring to his son-in-law, he added: “We thought he was a good man, with a good heart.
“It is too much. I don’t know why this has happened.”
Close friend Maria Lopez, 57 — who delivered Ligia at her birth — said: “She was close to me all the years she was on this island.
“She sent me photos of her wedding day and of her beautiful baby daughter Yanire. She wrote to me too and told me of her life.
“She and Alberto were due to bring little Yanire to Fogo for the first time this summer to visit her father.
“Now Orlando will never meet his grand-daughter. He is devastated.”
The Izagas came to London in 2002 and Ligia transferred to another General Electric company, GE Equity Europe.
Her husband became a highly-respected board member of Swiss Re and last July he was elected to the board of the Association of British Insurers.
Luxury ... the plush block of apartments where Yanire was found
He works at the company’s British headquarters in the distinctive Gherkin building in the City of London. The Izagas’ flat has remained sealed off by police. It is in a smart complex, providing more than a hundred homes for wealthy City workers.
An inquest into Yanire’s death was opened and adjourned for three months yesterday.
Inner London South Coroner John Sampson said: “A post mortem is ongoing. At this stage it is understood that a head injury is the cause of her death.”
The picture of the tot was released last night as it was claimed that she was killed after her doting dad “flipped” because of stress at work.
Insurance chief Alberto Izaga, 36, was said to have punched and kicked Yanire with such force it fractured her skull.
Last night his brother-in-law Rolando Vincente said: “The whole family is in shock.
“We are at a loss to understand how this could happen or how Alberto could do this.
“To us Alberto was the perfect gentleman. He was a great father and loved his daughter.
“The only explanation that we can imagine is that he was under terrible stress at work and flipped.”
Smiles before tragedy ... Yanire held by her loving mother Ligia
Speaking outside his home in Connecticut, US, Rolando said Yanire’s mother, Ligia, 35, was in “terrible, total shock” and barely able to speak.
Police believe Ligia saw the alleged attack and tried in vain to defend her daughter.
The devastated mum is now in hospital in London.
Rolando said: “She has hardly spoken to anybody. The whole family is devastated. Yanire was a lovely girl. They visited here only a few weeks ago and they seemed so happy.
“They seemed like the perfect family.”
Ligia’s divorced mother, Matilde, who lives with Rolando, had flown to England to comfort her daughter.
Yanire was found bleeding from the nose, mouth and ears on Sunday after neighbours heard screams from the family’s £1 million flat near the Houses of Parliament, overlooking the Thames.
Wedding day ... Ligia with Alberto - but now she is heartbroken
The tot went into a coma and died in hospital on Tuesday. Izaga was arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The Spanish-born tycoon, recently promoted to the executive board of insurance giant Swiss Re, remains under suicide watch.
He could now face a murder charge over the toddler’s death.
Izaga met his wife when they both worked for General Electric in Connecticut.
She was born on the island of Fogo, Cape Verde, off the west African coast, and had moved to the US.
She works in business development and has a background in mergers and acquisitions.
Family friend Maria Rocha said: “I think she will not stay in London after this. I think her mother will not allow it.
“Ligia and her father are also close. She telephones him every week. She returned in 2002 on a holiday from America but has not been back to Fogo since moving to London.
“He was due to see her this summer with her husband and baby. Now everything is gone.”
Orlando ... shocked
Ligia’s dad, Orlando Vicente, 60, was inconsolable last night as the shock of his grand-daughter’s death sank in.
He said at his home on Fogo: “No, no. I cannot believe it.” Referring to his son-in-law, he added: “We thought he was a good man, with a good heart.
“It is too much. I don’t know why this has happened.”
Close friend Maria Lopez, 57 — who delivered Ligia at her birth — said: “She was close to me all the years she was on this island.
“She sent me photos of her wedding day and of her beautiful baby daughter Yanire. She wrote to me too and told me of her life.
“She and Alberto were due to bring little Yanire to Fogo for the first time this summer to visit her father.
“Now Orlando will never meet his grand-daughter. He is devastated.”
The Izagas came to London in 2002 and Ligia transferred to another General Electric company, GE Equity Europe.
Her husband became a highly-respected board member of Swiss Re and last July he was elected to the board of the Association of British Insurers.
Luxury ... the plush block of apartments where Yanire was found
He works at the company’s British headquarters in the distinctive Gherkin building in the City of London. The Izagas’ flat has remained sealed off by police. It is in a smart complex, providing more than a hundred homes for wealthy City workers.
An inquest into Yanire’s death was opened and adjourned for three months yesterday.
Inner London South Coroner John Sampson said: “A post mortem is ongoing. At this stage it is understood that a head injury is the cause of her death.”
Comment