He had just returned with his parents from Switzerland to spend the summer holidays in Amaroni, in the province of Catanzaro, the little Carlotta La Croce, 12 years old. But what was supposed to be a period of light -heartedness has turned into a tragedy without return. His parents, Orlando La Croce and Anna Esposito, have filed a formal denunciation of the culpable murder against unknown persons, asking for full light to be made on what happened on the night of July 26, 2025.
The first symptoms: underestimated signals
Carlotta, according to the contents of the complaint, had expressed some ailments in the previous days: pain in the neck, a momentary drop in sight, and a general exhaustion. Symptoms that parents, as often happens, had attributed to heat and travel stress. However, on the evening of July 26, the clinical picture fell.
The sudden illness to the rides
Around 10 pm, while he was in the rides with his uncles, Carlotta accused acute dorsal pain and breathing difficulties. Immediately afterwards he lost the sensitivity to the legs and showed signs of incontinence. Reclaimed at home, she was urgently brought to the emergency room of the Soverato hospital.
The first investigations and the negative CT
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the little girl, always according to the exposure of the parents, was managed slowly and delays. After an initial visit, it was subjected to a CT scan that did not detect anomalies. The health workers then recommended a transfer to the hospital in Catanzaro, equipped with a magnetic resonance imaging, a tool necessary to deepen the case.
The ambulance node: two hours of fatal waiting
And it is here that according to the parents, the most serious part of the story is consumed: the long and inexplicable expectation for an ambulance. Despite the presence of a 118 vehicle directed to Catanzaro, who had been said to be available for transport, the transfer was blocked by bureaucratic quibbles. The ambulance arrived from Maida arrived only two hours later. A delay that, according to parents, may have had lethal consequences.
The desperate race and the tragic epilogue
Arriving at the “Pugliese” hospital in Catanzaro, Carlotta was visited by the neurologist and transferred to pediatrics. During the journey, he began to have breathing difficulties, until he lost knowledge. Shortly after entering the department, despite the rescue attempts, the girl died.
Parents’ questions: could it be saved?
In their complaint, the parents ask if a more timely intervention could have saved their daughter’s life. Why has the 118 ambulance transport offer have not been accepted? Why two hours of waiting for a vehicle coming from Maida? And above all, was there an underestimation of the clinical picture by the health personnel of Soverato?
The autopsy and investigations in progress
The doctors of the hospital in Catanzaro, according to the girl’s parents, required autopsy to clarify the exact causes of death. In the meantime, the parents entrusted the lawyer Arturo Bova to follow the investigations, reserving the right to establish himself a civil party if medical responsibilities are ascertained.
An appeal for the truth
“We don’t want revenge – the parents say – but only justice and truth for our daughter”. A cry of pain, theirs, but also a warning: so that such situations do not repeat themselves and so that no other parent should cry a child due to delays or disorganization of the health system.