Pierluigi Dellano, the 63-year-old Ventimiglia resident who reported seeing three-year-old Allen shortly after the boy disappeared Friday evening from the ‘Por la Mar’ campsite in Latte di Ventimiglia, has been formally investigated for failure to render aid. The Imperia Prosecutor’s Office initially considered a charge of child abandonment but, after reviewing a detailed report from the Carabinieri following their intensive investigation, has now opted for the lesser charge of failure to assist.
Allen was found alive in nearby woods 36 hours later by three civil protection volunteers from Pompeiana. He had wandered away while his father was setting up their tent, crossed the Aurelia road, and walked up a private driveway leading to Dellano’s villa. According to Dellano’s initial statement to firefighters, he encountered the child there, accompanied him to a nearby crossroads, but the boy, repeatedly calling “papa, papa,” then slipped from his grasp and disappeared.
Prosecutors allege the failure to aid charge stems not from minor scratches Allen sustained while lost, but because Dellano allowed such a young child to wander off alone. They contend that had Dellano immediately alerted authorities or handed Allen to police upon seeing him, the child would have been spared the trauma of spending two nights alone in the woods. This act, according to the prosecution, went beyond simple negligence.
Meanwhile, Allen was discharged at 12:30 PM from the Pediatrics Department of Imperia Hospital, where he had been under observation since his discovery – found hidden in a crevice under a concrete pylon. Doctors stated his “overall clinical condition is good,” especially considering he went 36 hours without food or water. All necessary checks were completed prior to discharge. Allen will now return to Turin with his parents, Bernardo and Barbara, and his sister Bea. The child’s recovery prompted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to call it “a beautiful piece of news.”
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