A mum-of-two has been arrested for allegedly leaving her starving OAP mother to go on holiday after cops found her dead.
The body of Margherita Battazza, 84, was discovered by police officers at her home.
They had arrived on the scene to arrest her daughter Antonella Marrella.
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The Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued an arrest warrant against Marrella for abandoning a disabled person, an offense that was allegedly repeated and resulted in tragedy.
When the cops arrived at the home, nobody answered their calls.
They grew suspicious when they detected a strong odour coming from inside the apartment in Montelibretti near the Italian capital Rome.
They accessed the property from an open window and found the elderly woman lying on the floor.
The coroner later confirmed that she had died several days earlier.
It is believed she passed away of starvation, but the authorities have yet to reveal her exact cause of death.
Following a preliminary investigation, the police learned that Marrella, responsible for caring for her elderly mother, had left the home to go on holiday.
She had reportedly travelled to a coastal resort in Abruzzo region with her two children, leaving the disabled 84-year-old alone to fend for herself.
According to reports, the OAP was allegedly abandoned without food, water, or even a phone to call for help if needed.
There weren’t even any family members living nearby to check on her.
The authorities believe that Marrella allegedly pre-planned her mother’s death and she was placed under house arrest and charged with aggravated voluntary homicide.
Investigators also suspected that she planned to flee her hometown after finding notes referring to the purchase of a flight ticket and a wig to allegedly disguise her identity.
As a result, the Tivoli Public Prosecutor’s Office requested that she be held in a pre-trial detention centre instead of house arrest, as reported by Need To Know.
The request was authorised by the court and Marrella is currently being held in Rebibbia prison in Rome as the investigation continues.
Margherita had been found dead on the morning of 12 June.
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