Tonino Porcu, the 78-year-old found dead last night in his home in Ghilarza, was killed several hours before the body was found, probably on the night between Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 February.

This is what emerges from the first checks carried out by the coroner, Roberto Demontis, on the corpse of the retired farmer.

Confirmed the swelling on the face that ascertain a brutal assault, the man was hit with his bare hands or with a blunt object. However, it is necessary to wait for tomorrow's autopsy to understand if the injuries directly caused the death or if the death was due to a heart attack after the attack, given that the victim was heart disease.

Meanwhile, the carabinieri are working to reconstruct the last hours of the 78-year-old's life, trying to recover useful elements to identify the person or people who entered his house to carry out a robbery. Perhaps the elder caught them in the act and was attacked, or he could have been caught sleeping.

What is certain is that the criminals have been rummaging everywhere for money and valuables before fleeing. The old man's home was turned upside down.

The body was found last night, when the woman who helped him with the cleaning and his nephew entered the house alerted by some neighbors who had not heard from Porcu since Monday evening. The pensioner was lying on the bed in the bedroom with his face swollen.

The 118 doctors and the carabinieri who cordoned off the area then intervened on the spot. With the arrival of the coroner, it was then confirmed that the death was attributable to an assault.

In the next few hours, the investigators of the weapon will hear all the neighbors and acquaintances of the victim, with the hope that someone has seen or heard something. We also rely on the inspection of RIS specialists, who could reveal useful elements to identify the attackers. The area has no cameras.