The death of Maria, an 11-year-old girl from Palermo who suffered from a form of encephalitis that left her quadriplegic, is shrouded in mystery. The child was brought to Buccheri La Ferla hospital in critical condition by her mother and her mother’s partner. Despite resuscitation efforts by doctors, she did not survive.
Palermo’s Flying Squad is investigating the unclear circumstances. The local Prosecutor’s Office has opened a preliminary file, currently ruling out homicide, and has ordered an autopsy deemed essential to determine the cause of death. The body of the 11-year-old, previously treated at Buccheri La Ferla for drug-resistant epilepsy, was transferred to the Legal Medicine Institute at Policlinico hospital.
Maria was found with marks on her neck and her clothes soaked in petrol. Her 31-year-old mother, who has four other minor children, and her new partner – who was not home at the time of the incident – were questioned by police for over three hours. The girl’s biological father, who lives separately, was also interviewed.
Family members reported the girl felt unwell. The autopsy must establish whether her death resulted from natural causes related to her severe medical conditions or from ingesting petrol. Investigators are exploring the possibility that one of her younger siblings accidentally gave the completely paralysed girl the petrol. The neck marks are believed by investigators not to be signs of violence, but possibly caused by clumsy attempts to help her.
Police and the prosecutor also interviewed neighbours alerted by the mother, who called for help upon seeing her daughter’s distress. The family lived in a severely degraded area near the central station. Pending the investigation’s outcome, the Juvenile Court has ordered the mother’s other four children placed in a group home.
Palermo’s 24-hour Social Emergency Service (PrInS), overseen by Councillor Mimma Calabrò, was activated to assist Maria’s siblings. Social workers and the intervention team, coordinating with the prosecutor, arranged the urgent transfer of all four children. The PrInS service was specifically designed for such emergencies requiring rapid, coordinated responses between agencies, healthcare, and law enforcement.
The team provided immediate support, placing the minors in protective custody. Meanwhile, the family’s one-story residence has been sealed off by authorities. A bottle of petrol found in the apartment has also been seized as evidence.