(CMR) The mummified body of a 70-year-old woman was discovered at a table in her home in Italy earlier this month, approximately two years after she died. According to Italian media, neighbors were convinced Marinella Beretta had moved at the start of the pandemic, having not seen her since September 2019.
Beretta's decomposed body was discovered by a group of fire brigade members who had gone to clear a tree that had fallen in her garden due to the overgrown vegetation. Her neighbors raised the alarm about hazardous trees on her property during high winds.
The woman who had no living relatives has been dubbed “loneliness personified.” Her death has sparked national calls to do more to deal with loneliness among the elderly. Nearly 40 percent of over 75-year-olds in Italy live alone, according to a 2018 report by the national statistics institute (ISTAT).
“We must become her family and participate as far as possible in the funeral,” local mayor Mario Landriscina said.
Police found nothing at the scene to suggest foul play, and the council was expected to pay for her funeral and burial.
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