A 27-year-old mother in Begamo, Italy, was arrested today on charges of double murdering her two children, a 4-month-old girl and a 2-month-old boy, within a year.
Investigators described 27-year-old Monia Mortolotti as “intelligent, with a great capacity for language, rationalization and coldness,” who “couldn’t deal with the frustration of the children’s prolonged crying” and suffocated them by pressing a pillow.
According to the investigations, Mortolotti allegedly killed her daughter on November 15, 2021 and her son on October 25, 2022, when the investigations were also started by order of the Prosecutor’s Office of Begamo.
The child’s tender age and similarities to the previous premature death of Mortolotti’s 4-month-old daughter had raised strong suspicions, reports Il Messaggero, and an autopsy was ordered.
photo source ilmessaggero
The result showed that the child’s death was caused by acute mechanical asphyxiation with chest compression which, according to the investigators, was the result of voluntary action.
In both cases, only the mother was present at home, who was reported to have given the child milk and let him digest it in her arms until he fell asleep. By the time she showered, she said, the baby had turned cyanotic and was no longer breathing.
The first death was attributed to sudden death syndrome
The coroner attributed the death to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) as he felt that the premature birth of the seven-month-old girl had probably led to a swallowing deficit.
The investigation, however, revealed serious evidence of guilt against Mortolotti, mainly because many of her statements during the investigation did not agree with what she had initially stated to the police.
The little girl, although born prematurely and slightly underweight, at the time of discharge from the maternity hospital and during the subsequent pediatric examinations was an essentially healthy child, as was her brother.
During the investigation, examination of her medical history did not reveal any mental disorder, so it is assumed that she acted with full capacity of understanding and volition.
After her arrest, the young woman was remanded in custody after she was deemed capable of committing another crime.
