Pietracatella ricin probe: family friend reported for obstruction as phone chats reveal hidden tensions

The deaths in Pietracatella

On December 27 and 28, 2025, Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her 15-year-old daughter Sara Di Vita died in the Molise village of Pietracatella. Initial suspicion fell on five doctors from the Cardarelli hospital in Campobasso, but an autopsy detected ricin, a highly toxic plant protein. The prosecutor’s office in Larino then opened a separate investigation for premeditated homicide by poisoning, shifting attention to family and friends.

Friend reported for obstruction

A woman described as a close friend of the Di Vita family has been reported for “favoreggiamento” (aiding and abetting) after investigators concluded she lied about family tensions. She was interviewed three times at Campobasso police headquarters between January and June 2026 as a person with knowledge of the facts. Each time she denied arguments or disharmony inside the household. Objective evidence later contradicted her account. The woman, who was not arrested, now faces judicial proceedings for having knowingly hindered the investigation.

Phone chats unravel her account

The break came from the analysis of mobile phones and other devices seized on 4 May from the victims, from their daughter and sister Alice Di Vita, and from the family home. Chat conversations retrieved from those devices show that tensions existed, directly clashing with the friend’s repeated denials. The work on the devices is still underway and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

Wide net of interviews

Investigators from the mobile squad, led by Marco Graziano, have now recorded 160 formal interviews, though many people have been called more than once. The focus has shifted from reconstructing what the victims ate to examining family relationships and potential motives. Several witnesses have been reluctant to provide details, a pattern that mirrors the friend’s behaviour. Among those repeatedly questioned are at least two people in the victims’ closest circle.

Next steps

Autopsy results and new toxicological tests are due by the end of June and are expected to clarify the precise timing of the poisoning. The two most likely dates for administration are 23 December, when only the victims were present at meals, and 24 December, when the house was open to dozens of relatives and visitors. Gianni Di Vita, the husband and father, and Alice Di Vita both tested negative for ricin. No formal suspect has yet been named, but the latest development narrows the field.