<P> The Riddle family, an old gentry family, consisted of old Thomas and Mary Riddle and their son, Tom Riddle, Esq . They owned over half of the valley that the town of Little Hangleton lay in, and Thomas was the most prominent inhabitant of that town . They lived in a large house with fine gardens, but were unpopular amongst the local residents due to their snobbish attitudes . Tom, apparently the only child of Thomas and Mary, indulged in the typical pursuits of the upper class in the first half of the twentieth century, socialising with attractive women of his class, riding horses, and enjoying his status in the town . </P> <P> Rowling revealed in Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince that young Merope Gaunt made efforts to get as close to Tom as she could, peering at him through the windows and bushes at every opportunity . Morfin noticed his sister's affection for Tom and hexed him as he rode by, covering him in hives . This breach of wizarding law, and the ensuing violent struggle with Ministry of Magic officials, led to Marvolo and Morfin being imprisoned in Azkaban . As surmised by Dumbledore, once Merope was alone and no longer dominated by her father, she could make her move for Tom . Merope offered Tom a drink laced with a love potion as he rode by one day without his attractive companion, Cecilia . He became infatuated with Merope and they eloped . Within three months of the marriage, Merope became pregnant . Merope decided to stop giving Tom the love potion, having come to the belief such enchantment of a man was tantamount to slavery . She also revealed her witch status to Tom, believing either that he had fallen in love with her on his own or he would at least stay for their unborn child . She was wrong, and Tom quickly left his pregnant wife and went home to his parents, claiming to have been "hoodwinked" and tricked into marrying Merope . Tom Marvolo Riddle, their son, was born on 31 December 1926 and was left to grow up in an orphanage, as Merope had died soon after giving birth . </P> <P> Readers first learn about the doom of the Riddles in the beginning of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Tom Riddle, Esq. and his parents were murdered by Tom Marvolo Riddle . The Riddles' gardener Frank Bryce was blamed for the murders in the Muggle world, though he was never charged or tried, while in the wizarding world Morfin Gaunt was framed for them and died in Azkaban prison . </P> <P> In the film adaptation of The Goblet of Fire, Voldemort's grandparents were given the names Thomas and Mary Riddle . </P>

Who killed the riddle family in harry potter