Santa Maria a Vico – “What have you come to do?” These were the words with which the parents of Aurora Savino, the 45-day-old newborn found dead on September 2, 2023 in her crib, welcomed the military who arrived on site after a report from 118.
Article Key Points
Burns and bruises were visible on the little girl's body, signs that led to the opening of an investigation and the indictment for murder of her father, Emanuele Savino, 28, and her mother, Anna Gammella, 21.
The intervention of the Carabinieri and the suspicious circumstances
The military personnel who intervened, including the commander of the Santa Maria a Vico station, Luisiano D'Ambrosio, reconstructed the moments following the discovery of the body during the hearing before the Assize Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
The carabiniere said he found at home, in addition to the 118 personnel, the undertaker Pasquale Russo, already present even though the release of the body had not yet been arranged. "We argued with the parents, who did not want us to be there," D'Ambrosio reported, adding that the little girl was lying in the crib "with her eyes half-closed and bruises near the eye."
Grandpa and the “do-it-yourself” cardiac massage
Particularly significant was also the testimony of Gennaro Savino, Emanuele's father and the victim's grandfather. The man stated that he immediately called the funeral home, convinced that it was a natural death, and that he even performed cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the newborn, believing – according to him – that he had medical skills, despite only having a high school diploma.
When questioned about the bruises found on the little girl's body, Savino claimed he hadn't noticed them and, when prosecutor Stefania Pontillo showed him the photos of the little tortured body, he said that "they were altered".
The evidence and the arrest of the parents
According to the prosecution, Aurora's death was the result of repeated violence. The parents had initially explained the burns with an accident during bathing, claiming that a jet of boiling water had hit the child. But the autopsy and subsequent investigations - including the analysis of chats between the two - denied this version, leading to their arrest for aggravated murder in November 2023.
The investigation revealed that Aurora had never been seen by a doctor in her 45 days of life and that her parents had treated her wounds with “home remedies”, such as lard used as an ointment.
The foster siblings and the adoptability status
Following the tragedy, the couple's other two children were immediately taken away and entrusted to a community. The court declared them adoptable. The association Cam Telefono Azzurro and the minors' guardian, represented by the lawyer Maria Rosaria Genovesi, joined the trial as civil parties.
Lawyer Clara Niola, defender of Telefono Azzurro, asked for clarifications on the time when Aurora was taken by her grandfather and the time that passed before help arrived, crucial elements for reconstructing the dynamics of the facts.
A case that shocked the country
The horrifying episode shook Santa Maria a Vico, where little Aurora became the symbol of a tragedy foretold. Now justice will have to establish whether those bruises and burns are truly the consequence of a betrayed love or a terrible accident. But the evidence seems to speak clearly
Article published on 9 April 2025 - 14:52
The article is very sad and makes you think about how you can get to such situations. I don't know how parents can not notice the conditions of their child and think it's normal. We all need to be more careful.