The newborn found lifeless on the morning of January 2nd in the heated crib of the San Giovanni Battista church in Bari apparently died of hypothermia. This is the very first result of the autopsy performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Policlinico of Bari on the body of the baby who - according to initial findings - is less than a month old.
The Bari Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the parish priest, Don Antonio Ruccia, and the technician who installed the cradle in 2014, Vincenzo Nanocchio, 44, for manslaughter. The magistrates are also investigating for abandonment of minors in the care of unknown persons. The investigation file also includes the episode of the blackout that hit the area of the parish (where the thermal cradle is located) on December 14th from 3:00 PM to approximately 6:00 PM. Enel technicians intervened on site and transferred the power supply to the area to a functioning line, thus resolving the fault.
On the same day, but before the blackout, maintenance work was carried out on the crib, the power supply was replaced and its correct functioning was verified. After the electricity was restored - defense sources reported - the crib was checked again for correct functioning. Therefore, there were no problems attributable to the electrical fault. Don Ruccia is assisted by the lawyer Salvatore D'Aluiso and has appointed Dr. Mariano Manzionna, head of Pediatrics and Neonatology at the San Paolo hospital in Bari, as a consultant. The technician, on the other hand, is assisted by the lawyer Giovanni De Leo but has not appointed consultants. The results of the autopsy will be made known in 60 days and will also be based on the tissue and fluid samples taken today during the autopsy. Among the questions posed by the Prosecutor's Office to the coroner are those of establishing the time and cause of the baby's death.
(Online Union)