An Italian woman with no known family members was found dead inside her home, where she had apparently been deceased for the past two years.
According to Agence France-Presse, 70-year-old Marinella Beretta was found sitting at her table deceased on Friday in Prestino, near Lake Como. Police found the woman’s remains after making a house call about her neglected trees, which had the chance of being uprooted during high winds in the area.
Como City Hall press officer Francesca Manfredi told CNN that no one has come forward to claim the elderly woman’s remains and based upon the decomposition level, she likely died in late 2019. Her remains are still at the morgue and no funeral date has yet been set.
Como Mayor Mario Landriscina is asking residents in the town to attend Beretta’s funeral, with the local government taking care of the date and expenses.
“I will try to be there and I invite the city to be present,” Landriscina told reporters. “This is the moment to be together, and even if this woman had no relatives, we could become her relatives.”
Italy’s minister for family and equal opportunities, Elena Bonetti, reminded people that remembering Beretta’s life “is the duty of a community that wants to remain united.”
“What happened to Marinella Beretta in Como, the forgotten loneliness, hurts our consciences,” she said.
“Taking care of each other is the experience of families, institutions, of our being citizens. No one should be alone.”
Although police opened an investigation into Beretta’s death, she’s believed to have died from natural causes.
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[Featured image: Pixabay]
