Italian prosecutors have opened a murder investigation following the deaths of a mother and her teenage daughter after a pre-Christmas meal last year.
Sara Di Vita, 15, and her mother Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, fell ill after a lunch in their hometown of Pietracatella, a small municipality 260km (161 miles) south-east of Rome.
Sara's father Gianni - the former mayor of Pietracatella - was also taken to hospital but later recovered. The couple's eldest daughter was not present that day.
Initially, doctors attributed the symptoms to food poisoning, but renewed scrutiny arose when laboratory tests identified a deadly poison, ricin, while police have yet to identify a suspect.
Doctors suspected the infection originated from either fish or mushrooms and discharged the mother and daughter after their initial hospital visit.
However, their condition deteriorated rapidly, necessitating re-admission. Dr Vincenzo Cuzzone, head of the intensive care unit at Cardarelli hospital in nearby Campobasso, reported that liver failure occurred first, followed by multi-organ failure at an alarming speed.
The deaths of Di Vita and Di Ielsi were initially linked to medical negligence, prompting an investigation of the doctors who discharged them for possible manslaughter.
Test results from laboratories in Italy and Switzerland confirmed the presence of ricin - a highly toxic substance found in castor beans. Ingesting even a small amount can result in rapid organ failure and death, with no known antidote for ricin poisoning.
