Chelsey Field says she is left heartbroken after her children August, Hugo and Goldie were killed in a blaze in Sanson. Video / Herald NOW
A well-known local business has paid tribute to the three children killed in a suspected homicide that rocked a small Manawatū town just over a week ago.
August, Hugo and Goldie were found dead at their Sanson home after a fire. Their father, Dean Field, was also founddead at the scene. Police said his body was not burnt and have since said the incident is being investigated as a homicide.
Over the weekend, Sanson cafe owner Viv Withers, of Viv’s Kitchen, took to social media to share her grief.
“I, like so many others, have struggled to come to terms with the enormity of it all or to understand how this has happened,” a post on the business’ Facebook read.
Withers said she has ordered a plaque to pay tribute to the children which she plans to place in a memorial garden.
“If you wish, we would like to invite anyone visiting, to add a fairy to the garden as a way of letting Chelsey know her angels will never be forgotten.”
Chelsey, the children’s mother, released a statement last week sharing her heartbreak and devastation.
“August, Hugo and Goldie were taken from me and all those who love them in the most horrible of circumstances, but I do not want their deaths to define the important, beautiful lives that they lived,” she said.
Field said she had been a stay-at-home mum since she had Hugo in 2020.
“Before that, I was an early childhood teacher and August came to work with me every day, and I am so glad I got this time with my darlings.
“I enjoyed so much quality time with them; trips to gymnastics, music groups, playgroups and play dates with friends. We had so much fun together and many holidays away. I will forever cherish all these special memories.”
Field’s friends set up a Givealittle donation page for her on the Sunday after the incident to create a “safety net for her” and to “provide her with the space and security needed to grieve in solitude, without the added stress of financial ruin”.
The page has so far raised nearly $400,000from more than 10,000 donors.
