According to foreign media reports on February 8, in the northern Italian town of Prestine, the body of a 70-year-old woman was accidentally found by the police. According to police, the old man had been dead for more than two and a half years and was still sitting at the dinner table when he was found. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the absence of living relatives, she has not been found after her death.
The police accidentally found the body of the elderly man when they went to the door to check
Marinella Beretta, 70, has reportedly been living alone and has "no living relatives". The police went to the old man's home, intending to tell her to strengthen the protection against strong winds in lombardy and note that the trees in the courtyard might be blown down, but accidentally found the old man's body. Police said no signs of crime were found at the scene and the city council was expected to pay for Marinella's funeral and burial expenses.
According to local media reports, Marinella's neighbor has not seen her since September 2019. The coronavirus hit northern Italy in 2020, and neighbors thought Marinella had moved away at the start of the outbreak.
"Life hidden behind the door of Marinella's hut teaches us a terrible lesson." The Courier wrote, "The real sadness is not that others did not find out that Marinella Beretta had died, it was that they did not realize she was still alive." ”
Marinella's death has prompted calls for the government, communities and families to pay more attention to the living conditions of the elderly, especially those living alone. According to a 2018 report by Italy's National Institute of Statistics, nearly 40 percent of people over the age of 75 live alone, and the same percentage of older people have neither relatives nor friends to seek help when needed.
"What happened to Marinella Beretta, the forgotten loneliness, stung us." Family Minister Elena Bonetti said, "As a neighbourhood community that wants to remain closely united, it is our responsibility to remember her life... No one should be left alone. ”
Red Star News reporter Ding Wen
Edited by Pan Li
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