Italian police launch murder probe as mayor's wife and daughter 'poisoned with ricin at Christmas dinner'

Dan McDonald
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:17:23 +0000

Police in Italy have launched a double murder investigation after the wife and daughter of a former mayor were killed after allegedly being poisoned with ricin.

Antonella Di Jelsi, 50, and her daughter Sara Di Vita, 15, fell ill after attending a lunch on December 23 in Pietracatella, in the southern Molise region.

Doctors first suspected severe food poisoning, possibly linked to mushrooms or fish, had led to the pair's deaths.

However, toxicology tests later revealed the deadly toxin ricin in the mother and daughter's bloodstream.

Ricin is a highly toxic substance with no known antidote and can be fatal if ingested, inhaled or injected.

Victims typically suffer fever, vomiting and rapid organ failure.

Di Jelsi’s husband, Gianni Di Vita, 55, also became unwell - but made a full recovery after hospital treatment.

The former mayor of Pietracatella and the regional treasurer for the Democratic Party had experienced similar - but less severe - symptoms.

The couple’s eldest daughter, Alice, 19, did not attend the lunch and was unaffected.

After initially being discharged from hospital in Campobasso, the mother and daughter’s condition worsened, prompting repeated admissions between December 24 and 26.

Both died within hours of each other.

A post-mortem on December 31 failed to establish a cause of death, but further tests in Italy and Switzerland confirmed the presence of ricin.

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Prosecutors have now opened a murder probe, with investigators examining whether anyone close to the family may have had a motive, according to Italian media.

No suspects have been publicly identified.

Five medical professionals are also under investigation over possible negligence.

Antonio Tomassone, the town’s current Mayor, said: "The whole thing is so strange. We are all offering our support."

Pharmacologist Gianni Sava told La Repubblica: "To kill a man who weighs 70kg, you need just 14 milligrams of ricin."

He added: "It is one of the most potent poisons that exists in nature. It is not easy to get hold of."

"It requires very dangerous and complex chemical processes. And if you inhale it, it can kill you."

The poison is derived from castor beans and can exist as a powder, mist or pellets.