The mummified body of a 70-year-old woman was reportedly found sitting at her table more than two years after she died, Agence France-Presse reported. Marinella Beretta’s remains were discovered at her home in Prestino in northern Italy after authorities performed a routine house call to warn her about high winds that could damage neglected trees in her back yard.
- Beretta hadn’t been seen in more than two years. Neighbors told authorities that they hadn’t come into contact with her or even seen her since September 2019. They didn’t think to reach out to her or stop by as they simply assumed she moved at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Investigators believe she died more than two years ago. Due to the level of decomposition of Beretta’s remains, investigators believe it couldn’t have been that long after she was last seen that Beretta passed away. Police were quick to say that there was no indication of foul play, though the investigation is still ongoing.
- Beretta has no surviving relatives. This sadly offers an explanation for how she could have been sitting alone in her home for so long without being discovered.
- The fact that social services didn’t check up on her as an elderly woman is not acceptable. Elena Bonetti, Italy’s minister for families, was saddened by the news of Beretta’s death. “What happened to Marinella Beretta in Como, the forgotten loneliness, hurts our consciences,” she said in a statement. “We have a duty, as a community that wants to remain united, to remember her life … no one must be left alone.”
Beretta’s local council is covering her funeral and burial costs.
