Paupisi Massacre: Antonia Ocone Awakens and Recognizes Her Family

Benevento – A glimmer of hope appears in the Paupisi tragedy. The sixteen-year-old girl whose father, Salvatore Ocone, was seriously injured in the family massacre of September 30th has reopened her eyes and, at times, can recognize her loved ones.

The young woman is hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neuromed Institute in Pozzilli, where doctors have been monitoring her continuously for over three weeks.

"The girl opens her eyes and, at times, recognizes especially the family members who come to visit her. Her cognitive status cannot yet be assessed because she can't speak, but she is moving and able to turn over in bed. She is therefore making a motor recovery," explained Dr. Valeria Marino, director of the Intensive Care Unit at Neuromed. "The rehabilitation process will be long, both from a motor and psychological standpoint," she added.

The girl was found dying in the countryside of Ferrazzano, in the province of Campobasso, next to the lifeless bodies of her 15-year-old brother Cosimo and her father, Salvatore Ocone, who had attempted suicide after killing his wife, Elisabetta Polcino, and their son. Ocone, who survived his wounds, is now being held in Benevento prison, where he faces charges of double murder and the attempted murder of his daughter.

A family drama that has shaken the entire community of Paupisi and the Benevento area, but which today, with the first signs of improvement in the young woman, restores a minimum of confidence and relief to her relatives and to those who, in recent weeks, have followed her condition with concern.