Tragic death of woman who testified against father in notorious mafia murder of mother

A woman who testified against her own father after her mother was murdered in a notorious mafia killing in Italy is believed to have taken her own life.

Denise Cosco was found critically injured on Sunday and died later in hospital in Rome.

Her mother Lea Garofalo, who was killed in 2009, became a powerful symbol of resistance to the mafia after turning witness for the state against the 'Ndrangheta clan in southern Italy.

Those close to Cosco recall her bravery in speaking out at her father's trial, but also her tremendous struggle in the years that followed.

At 35, she died at the same age her mother was when she was murdered.

Enza Rando, a senator and anti-mafia lawyer who represented Cosco at the murder trial, described her death as "a profound wound for the entire country", and proof that the mafia not only kills, but creates "true monsters in the lives and souls" of those who survive.

Francesca Rispoli, co-president of the anti-mafia organisation Libera, said the death highlighted the struggle experienced by many who break with organised crime.

"The mafia, it's not just something physical. You can leave. You can change your name," she told the BBC. "But there is still a tie, a family tie, that stays… deep inside and is impossible to overcome."