Prosecutors in Pavia are investigating potential DNA contamination in the 2007 murder case of Chiara Poggi, introducing a new development as Andrea Sempio faces investigation for the killing. Alberto Stasi, the victim’s boyfriend at the time, is already serving a definitive sentence for the crime. The Pavia Prosecutor’s Office revealed that unknown DNA found on gauze used 18 years ago by the coroner to collect biological material from Poggi’s mouth may stem from contamination during prior autopsies.
This discovery prompted prosecutors to order specific re-examinations. Geneticists Carlo Previderè and Pierangela Grignani conducted comparative analyses—outside the original evidentiary hearing—comparing the DNA to histological samples from five males autopsied around the same time as Poggi. The tests matched the unknown profile to an individual anonymously coded as 153E.
The Prosecutor’s Office has now appointed forensic anthropologist Professor Cristina Cattaneo, a renowned figure who worked on the Yara Gambirasio case, to conduct “new verifications into the cause of death.” To ensure comprehensive evaluation of all evidence—both forensic findings on the victim and crime scene details—Cattaneo will serve as an additional consultant to the prosecutor. She is a Full Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health at the University of Milan and a leading authority in forensic anthropology and legal medicine.
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