An Italian town is in mourning after a Christmas family meal ended in tragedy, with a mother and her teenage daughter dying within hours of each other, as investigators probe suspected food poisoning and possible medical failings.
Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her 15-year-old daughter Sara Di Vita died over the weekend at Cardarelli Hospital in southern Italy. Prosecutors believe the pair may have fallen critically ill after eating a festive dinner on December 23, just days before Christmas.
The family meal included mushrooms, fish, and seafood, including mussels, all traditional dishes commonly eaten during the holiday season in the region. In the days that followed, both mother and daughter developed the same symptoms, including nausea and severe abdominal pain.
They were admitted to the hospital but were discharged twice, on December 25 and 26. On Saturday, they returned with rapidly worsening symptoms. Sara died at around 10.30 pm on Saturday night, while her mother passed away a few hours later on Sunday morning, according to the Daily Mail.
The family comes from Pietracatella, a small mountain town in the Molise region. The father, Gianni, who also ate the meal, was later airlifted to Spallanzani Hospital, where he remains in intensive care. The couple’s other daughter, aged 18, was taken to the hospital as a precaution but has shown no symptoms and is believed not to have eaten the meal.
An autopsy ordered by the Campobasso Prosecutor’s Office is due to take place on Wednesday to determine whether the deaths were caused by food poisoning or an undiagnosed intolerance.
Friends of Sara described her optimism just days before she died. “We last spoke to Sara on the phone on Santo Stefano (St. Stephen’s day),” Giovanna, Donatella, and Giuseppe told La Repubblica. “She thought the heavy treatment they had given her in the hospital would be enough; she absolutely didn’t think her condition could worsen.”
Doctors initially suspected gastroenteritis, but later considered botulism, listeria, fulminant hepatitis, or “chemical poisoning.” Dr Vincenzo Cuzzone, head of intensive care at Cardarelli Hospital, said: “The clinical picture had a truly rare evolution that led rapidly to death despite the intensive care we implemented.”
Five people are now under investigation as police test food samples from the family home and review medical records. The town’s mayor, Antonio Tommasone, called the deaths “a tragedy that leaves us speechless,” adding: “I’ve declared a day of mourning for the funeral and canceled all Christmas celebrations.”
Locals remain devastated and angry. “We want to understand the cause of the poisoning, but above all, whether the doctors could have saved them and why they were sent home multiple times,” friends told La Repubblica. “You can’t die like this.”
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