An 85-year-old woman died during the night in Pellezzano, in the province of Salerno, after being suffocated while she slept. Her 53-year-old son has admitted to killing her, according to local reports.

The victim was Maria Barone, 85. The man identified as responsible is her son, Antonio Durante, 53.

According to Il Mattino Salerno, Durante himself called the emergency number 112 to report that he had killed his mother.

The incident took place in a home on Via Nicotera in Pellezzano. The case is being investigated by the Carabinieri of the Mercato San Severino company, under the coordination of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Salerno. The son was detained and is described as having confessed.

A community shocked and grieving

Pellezzano mayor Francesco Morra expressed condolences to the family and described the local community as shocked and wounded by the tragedy.

No further official statements about funeral arrangements or public commemorations have been reported in the sources consulted.

What investigators are now establishing

The available reports confirm the location, the identities and ages of the victim and her son, the alleged confession by telephone to 112, and the current investigative framework involving the Carabinieri and the Salerno prosecutor's office.

Investigators will now have to clarify the exact sequence of events inside the house on Via Nicotera and document the evidence supporting the confession.

What is not yet known

Several key elements have not been reported in the sources acquired:

  • The motive for the killing has not been disclosed.
  • A complete, verified reconstruction of events has not been published.
  • The results of any post-mortem or forensic examinations have not been reported.
  • The final legal classification of the act and any judicial decision on detention remain to be confirmed.
  • No information has been released about prior involvement of social services or other relevant family circumstances.

Until the prosecutor's office and the Carabinieri release further findings, those points remain unverified and should not be treated as established fact.