Italian prosecutors have opened a murder investigation following the deaths of a mother and her teenage daughter after a pre-Christmas meal last year.
Sara Di Vita, 15, and her mother Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, fell ill after a lunch in their hometown of Pietracatella, a small municipality 260km (161 miles) south-east of Rome.
Sara's father Gianni - the former mayor of Pietracatella - was also taken to hospital, but he later recovered. The couple's eldest daughter was not present that day.
Doctors initially attributed the symptoms to food poisoning, but the new focus comes after laboratory tests revealed the presence of a deadly poison, ricin, according to Italian media. Despite this, the police do not yet have a suspect.
Initially thought to be related to food, doctors had considered the infection might have originated from either fish or mushrooms and discharged the mother and daughter after they went to the hospital.
However, their symptoms quickly worsened, prompting re-admission. Dr Vincenzo Cuzzone, head of the intensive care unit at Cardarelli hospital in nearby Campobasso, reported that liver failure occurred first, followed by multi-organ failure at truly unparalleled speed.
Di Vita and Di Ielsi's deaths were initially attributed to medical negligence, leading to investigations of the doctors involved who discharged them, focusing on potential manslaughter charges.
Test results from laboratories in Italy and Switzerland later confirmed the presence of ricin, a highly toxic chemical found in castor beans. Even tiny amounts can lead to rapid organ failure and death, and there is no known antidote for ricin poisoning.
