Silvana Damato died in the bathtub: the door was locked, the keys were missing, and her face was swollen. A murder investigation is underway.

The death of Silvana Damato, a 69-year-old pensioner found lifeless in the bathtub of her home in Bruzzano, a neighborhood on the northern outskirts of Milan , last Friday, August 8, is taking on the appearance of a mystery. Initially, it was thought she had fallen ill, but the prosecutor's office is now investigating her case as a homicide .
Firefighters had to intervene to enter the woman's apartment. The security door was locked from the inside. She had died in the bathtub, her face swollen and her neck injured. There were no signs of forced entry, and nothing was missing except her house keys .

A retired tobacconist, Silvana was last seen on Friday morning. Friends waited for her that afternoon for their usual game of Burraco, but she never arrived and didn't answer their calls. So they raised the alarm. Firefighters entered the sixth-floor apartment by rappelling from the roof. They found her body in the bathtub filled with water (her clothes were also in the tub), the faucet turned off. Silvana was lying on her back, partially out of the water , with her face swollen and signs of wounds on her neck. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Autopsy results are now awaited to determine whether she had water in her lungs and to determine the exact cause of death, whether accidental or not. Meanwhile, prosecutor Valentina Mondovì has opened a homicide investigation. Silvana Damato's apartment appeared tidy: every wall was covered with paintings and furnishings, as shown in the photos she posted on her Facebook profile. This is how the Carabinieri, who are investigating, found it. No signs of a struggle, no furniture out of place. Her purse and wallet were there, and her cell phone was there. The only thing missing were the keys to the apartment, which, when emergency services arrived, was locked and there were no signs of forced entry .

Divorced, with an adult daughter and two beloved grandchildren, Silvana lived in an eight-story apartment building. The Carabinieri are examining CCTV footage and cell towers in the area. They are also interviewing neighbors in the eight-story building and her acquaintances to determine who she frequented, whether there was anyone in particular, what her daily routine was like, and, above all, what happened on her last afternoon. According to some witnesses, she had recently started a new relationship: this man was also interviewed by investigators .

(Unioneonline)