Overview
- Prosecutors, who opened a double-murder inquiry Wednesday, acted after toxicology tests reportedly detected ricin in samples from the victims and seized food.
- The mother, Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her daughter, Sara Di Vita, 15, fell ill after a December 23, 2025 family lunch in Pietracatella and died days later at Cardarelli Hospital in Campobasso.
- Investigators seized clams, mussels, cuttlefish, cod, flour and jars of mushrooms in oil from the home as they focus on the December 23 lunch over a separate Christmas Eve meal.
- The father, Gianni Di Vita, also became sick and later recovered in intensive care in Rome, and investigators note the elder daughter, who skipped the lunch, did not fall ill.
- Five clinicians who first discharged the pair after a suspected foodborne illness are under investigation, and experts note ricin from castor beans can trigger rapid organ failure from only milligrams.