Daniela Ferrari, mother of Garlasco murder suspect, hospitalised after drug overdose
Daniela Ferrari was taken to Vigevano hospital on Wednesday and underwent gastric lavage after an 'excessive intake of drugs,' her lawyer said. It remains unclear whether the overdose was voluntary or accidental.
Daniela Ferrari, the mother of Andrea Sempio, the sole suspect in the reopened investigation into the 2007 murder of Chiara Poggi, was rushed to hospital on 17 June after overdosing on prescription medicines.
Wednesday's emergency
Ferrari fell ill at her home in Garlasco late in the morning and was rescued by emergency services (118). She was transferred to the emergency room of Vigevano hospital, where doctors performed a gastric lavage. Her lawyer, Liborio Cataliotti, confirmed the overdose during a live broadcast of the programme 'Dentro la notizia' on Canale 5. "It was a drug overdose," he said, adding that it is not yet known whether the intake was voluntary or accidental. Medical staff later described her condition as not serious, but she remains under observation.
A trail of distress
Ferrari has been under intense scrutiny since her son was placed under investigation. Carabinieri questioned her repeatedly about a parking ticket issued in Vigevano on 13 August 2007, which investigators believe suggests she, not Andrea, used the family car that morning. On 28 April 2025, she fainted while at the provincial Carabinieri command in Milan, where she had exercised her right not to answer.
In an interview broadcast on Quarto Grado in May 2026, Ferrari spoke openly about suicidal thoughts.
Even death doesn't scare me, honestly. Maybe it would be the best thing to rest.
- Parking ticket issued in Vigevano, later used as evidence suggesting she drove the family car that day.
- Ferrari faints at the Carabinieri station in Milan after exercising her right not to answer questions.
- In a Quarto Grado interview, she says 'even death doesn't scare me' and speculates about rest.
- Hospitalised after a drug overdose; gastric lavage performed at Vigevano hospital.
Defence team reaction
Cataliotti and colleague Angela Taccia, who represent Andrea Sempio, sent a message of solidarity to their client and urged him to stay close to his mother. "We will multiply our efforts in the trial to restore serenity to Andrea and the whole Sempio family," Cataliotti said. The family has been at the centre of media and judicial pressure since the Pavia prosecutor's office launched a fresh inquiry into the Garlasco murder.
The Garlasco case
Chiara Poggi, an economics graduate, was killed in her home in Garlasco in August 2007. Alberto Stasi, her then boyfriend, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and served more than a decade before being granted probation and released last week. The new investigation now points to Sempio, a phone shop clerk, and Stasi's conviction is expected to be overturned in what is being called a grave miscarriage of justice.
