Molise schools searched for traces of ricin in the Di Vita case.

The Larino Prosecutor's Office has ordered digital searches in three schools in the province of Campobasso, Molise, in search of traces of searches related to ricin. Officers will examine 155 computers distributed among the Agricultural Institute of Riccia, the "Galileo Galilei" Scientific High School in Riccia, and the "Mario Pagano" Classical High School in Campobasso.

The operations, conducted by the Flying Squad and the Central Operational Service of the State Police, will take place within a 72-hour window starting from October 13. Investigators will search computer logs for keywords such as "ricin," "poison," "castor seeds," and traces of the use of anonymizing technologies like the Tor Browser to access dark web sites.

The investigations are linked to the double murder of Antonella Di Ielsi and her daughter Sara Di Vita, which occurred in Pietracatella last December, where the victims were killed with a lethal dose of ricin. The decision to search the schools stems from personal connections between students, family members, and the victims that emerged during interrogations.

The case originated last December in Pietracatella, Molise, when Antonella Di Ielsi and her daughter Sara Di Vita were found dead, killed by a lethal dose of ricin. Ricin is an extremely toxic poisonous substance derived from the seeds of the castor oil plant; its production requires specific chemical knowledge and it is not a common poison, which made the case particularly complex for the investigation.

Following the double homicide, the investigation by the Larino Prosecutor's Office, led by prosecutor Elvira Antonelli, focused on how the killer could have obtained or produced the poison. Ricin is not an easily accessible substance, so investigators hypothesized that the killer may have sought information online on how to produce it, using either public or private computers.

The connection to schools emerged gradually: during interrogations, a personal relationship was highlighted between some individuals linked to educational institutions and the victims. This led the prosecutor's office to suspect that someone with access to school computers may have used those terminals for anonymous searches about the poison, perhaps using technologies like the Tor Browser to hide their online identity. The current searches therefore represent an attempt to find digital evidence linking someone to the ricin searches, thus reconstructing a possible motive and method of the crime.