Ricin poisoning kills mother and daughter in Molise, Italy

Antonella Di Vita and her 14‑year‑old daughter Sara Di Ielsi were found dead in Pietracatella, Molise, after a lethal dose of ricin was determined to be the cause of death. The forensic pathologist Benedetta Pia De Luca, who delivered an 860‑page autopsy report, said the case is "unique in the world" and that the poison was likely ingested between 23 and 24 December, probably orally.

Police seized about 70 food items and biological samples from the victims' homes and transferred them under guard to the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, where German experts Christian Herzog and Sylvia Worbs, together with Italian specialist Luca Morini, are analysing the material for ricin traces and possible antibodies. The investigation continues with further forensic examinations, phone‑data seizures and renewed interrogations, while no suspects for aggravated homicide have yet been identified. A new expert visit to the house on via Risorgimento is scheduled for early August.