Italian Police Search Offices of Gianni Di Vita in Ricin Poisoning Case

Police search accountant offices in Pietracatella and Campobasso

Italian police searched two professional offices belonging to accountant and former Pietracatella mayor Gianni Di Vita on 29 September 2026. Officers from the Campobasso mobile squad, directed by Marco Graziano, entered Di Vita's office on Via Risorgimento 18 in Pietracatella, located directly opposite the family home. Investigators subsequently inspected a second office on Via D'Amato in Campobasso, spending approximately one hour examining files and equipment before departing at 10:45.

During the operations, officers seized personal effects including a handbag belonging to his late wife, Antonella Di Ielsi, which had remained inside the office since her death. Police accompanied Di Vita to the Campobasso police headquarters on Via Tiberio to sign formal seizure records, after which he was released. Di Vita addressed reporters directly as he exited the building.

I am completely calm and I have nothing to declare.

Forensic trajectory from food poisoning to ricin detection

The searches follow nine months of investigation into the deaths of 50-year-old Antonella Di Ielsi and her 15-year-old daughter, Sara Di Vita. Both women suffered acute poisoning following family meals during the 2025 Christmas period, with Di Ielsi dying on 28 December 2025. Medical examiners and investigators initially treated the incident as severe food poisoning, confiscating all food items found in the household.

Toxicological evaluations subsequently ruled out botulism and common toxins. In March 2026, the Pavia Poison Control Centre detected lethal quantities of ricin in blood samples collected from both victims. Following the ricin confirmation, prosecutors dismissed a manslaughter inquiry against physicians at the Campobasso hospital who had attempted to treat the two victims, shifting the focus to a premeditated double murder inquiry directed by the Larino public prosecutor's office.

Digital forensic analysis and the dinner of 23 December

Investigative work centres heavily on a dinner that took place on 23 December 2025 at the family home in Pietracatella. The meal was attended by Antonella Di Ielsi, Sara Di Vita, and Gianni Di Vita. Although Gianni Di Vita reported mild gastrointestinal symptoms after the meal, laboratory tests confirmed he had not ingested ricin. The couple's older daughter, Alice, was not present at the home because she was out with friends.

Larino Chief Prosecutor Elvira Antonelli appointed specialists from the Central Operations Service to extract and examine digital data from seized electronic devices. Forensic specialists were granted a 60-day window to analyse web search histories regarding ricin acquisition, communications, geolocation records, photographs, and notes on food consumed prior to the fatal illnesses. Specialists in Germany are also analysing dinnerware, utensils, and domestic items seized from the Pietracatella residence to determine whether chemical traces remain on specific objects.

Defense position and ongoing murder investigation

Authorities have gathered more than 200 witness testimonies since the start of the inquiry. Despite the latest round of searches, the Larino prosecutor's office has not placed Gianni Di Vita or any other individual on the formal registry of suspects for the double homicide. Di Vita's defense lawyer, Vittorino Facciolla, attended the evidentiary proceedings alongside IT consultant Gianni Alfonso.

The judiciary intended to follow up on evidence gathering activities through searches of rooms and properties available to the entire Di Vita family and not just Gianni.

Facciolla stated that the defense remains untroubled by the investigative procedures, emphasizing that thorough inquiries help establish the sequence of events.