A 22-year-old woman has been charged with murdering her newborn and concealing the body in the garden of a house in Vignale, a suburb of Traversetolo, in the province of Parma. The infant’s body was discovered on August 9, but the news only emerged recently. Alongside the body were remains of another infant, primarily bones, which forensic experts will need to examine to determine if they belong to the same woman. The Parma prosecutor’s office confirmed that the woman is under investigation for voluntary manslaughter and concealment of a corpse.
The body of the first newborn was found by a man in his garden in Vignale. The man, who is not connected to the accusations, alerted the Carabinieri after discovering the body in a bag, buried under a thin layer of soil near the boundary with a neighbor’s property. Identifying the mother proved challenging for the authorities, who reviewed hospital and clinic records and issued an appeal for anyone with information to come forward. The 22-year-old was eventually identified through DNA testing on local women. She has admitted to being the child’s mother but has chosen not to speak with investigators. She and her family have engaged a lawyer, who has so far refrained from commenting on the allegations or the investigation.
Initial autopsy results reveal that the newborn died after birth, which did not occur in a hospital. The cause of death is still undetermined. The Carabinieri have interviewed the woman’s friends to establish if she received any assistance during the birth and if she was responsible for hiding the infant’s body. Last week, investigators returned to the garden and found the remains of a second newborn, which preliminary assessments suggest died at least a year ago.
Parma’s Chief Prosecutor, Alfonso D’Avino, issued a statement to provide details on the investigation and prevent speculation beyond official information. The prosecutor revealed that neither the woman’s parents nor the father of the newborn were aware of the pregnancy. “No one—apart from the girl—knew about the pregnancy: not family members, the child’s father, nor friends,” the statement read. The pregnancy was not monitored by specialists, gynecologists, or any medical professionals. The birth reportedly took place at home in isolation, without the assistance or presence of anyone else.
The prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the breach of investigative secrecy following the publication of the news regarding the discovery of the second infant’s remains.
