A mother and her teenage daughter have died in Italy in a suspected case of food poisoning, with investigators examining whether their Christmas dinner was contaminated with rat poison.
A Festive Celebration Turns to Tragedy
Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her 15-year-old daughter Sara Di Vita passed away in hospital in Campobasso, southern Italy, on December 28. They had suffered multiple organ failure days after sharing a festive meal.
The tragedy unfolded after the family ate together on December 23. The couple's other daughter, who did not partake in that specific meal, showed no symptoms and remains unharmed.
Antonella's husband and Sara's father, Gianni Di Vita, was also hospitalised and remains in intensive care, unable to provide details of the exact dishes consumed.
Flour Mill Link Under Scrutiny
Italian authorities have seized various food items from the family's home in Pietracatella for analysis, including clams, mussels, cuttlefish, cod, and mushrooms. However, a key line of enquiry now centres on flour used in the meal.
According to reports in Corriere della Sera, Gianni Di Vita owns a flour mill that had been infested with rats until a few weeks before Christmas. Pest control operatives had laid traps and poison at the site, leading investigators to probe whether flour became tainted.
Repeated Hospital Discharges Before Deaths
The mother and daughter first fell ill on the afternoon of December 25. They were taken to hospital but were discharged. They returned the following morning, only to be sent home again.
Their condition drastically worsened, and they were finally admitted to intensive care on December 27. Despite treatment, both died the next day.
In a concerning development, five doctors are now under investigation for potential malpractice related to the decisions to discharge the pair twice before their deaths.
Sara's friends have spoken of their shock, telling La Repubblica that they had spoken to her after Christmas. "She thought the heavy treatment they had given her in the hospital would be enough," they said, adding that they had made plans to attend parties together.
