A local babysitter in Italy was found to have buried two newborn babies in her garden, leading to an investigation into infanticide.
Chiara Petrolini, 22, was arrested after DNA tests allegedly confirmed her as the mother of one of the infants, a boy, discovered buried in her garden. Described as a “model university student,” Petrolini was on holiday in New York when authorities made the grim discovery in the quiet commune of Vignale di Traversetolo, near Parma, Italy.
The investigation began last month when her grandmother’s dog unearthed a body.
The autopsy revealed that the baby had been buried alive, with “soil found in the lungs,” according to leaked reports. A second body was found last week, but details about that infant’s death remain undisclosed.
Authorities confirmed that the father of the first baby is Petrolini’s 22-year-old boyfriend, Emanuele. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the discovery of the second body followed Petrolini’s confession to the police.
Currently in custody on suspicion of infanticide, Petrolini claims she acted alone, concealing her pregnancy and reportedly giving birth in her bathroom on August 7. Shortly after the birth, she allegedly killed the baby and buried him in her garden.
Just two days later, she left for a pre-planned trip to the US with her parents. The same day she departed, her grandmother’s dog unearthed the wrapped body, initially mistaken for an animal, prompting the neighbor to alert the authorities.
While examining Petrolini’s phone and internet history, police uncovered the second body. Reports indicate that she searched online for ways to terminate “a second child.”
Her boyfriend and friends expressed disbelief, claiming they had noticed nothing unusual and were unaware of her pregnancies. He stated, “If I had known about the pregnancy, I could have cared for the child. I would have wanted that child.”
Local media reported that Petrolini maintained a slim figure throughout her pregnancy by eating very little, which friends found alarming in hindsight. One friend shared, “I can’t get over it; it’s as if the world had turned upside down.”
Parma’s local prosecutor has indicated that Petrolini is the sole suspect in this tragic case, noting that the pregnancies appeared to have been kept secret from her family, the father, and friends, with no medical facility or doctor aware of the situation. Investigations are ongoing.
