Tragic Suicide After Witnessing the Ndrangheta’s Reign

Denise Cosco, the daughter of a convicted mafia killer, was found critically injured on Sunday in Rome and later died in hospital. Her death comes a fortnight after she was reported to have taken her own life following a long struggle with trauma, mental health issues and addiction.

Cosco’s mother, Lea Garofalo, was murdered in 2009 by the Ndrangheta clan. The killing of Garofalo made her a powerful symbol for women protesting against mafia violence, as she ultimately turned witness for the state and testified against her own father, Carlo Cosco.

Law‑enforcement officials say the mother’s body was strangled, dismembered and incinerated after she was led to a meeting by her son. Years later, pieces of bone and a necklace were recovered, which Cosco identified at a public funeral in 2013 – a quiet tribute to an enduring courage.

Despite her state protection, a new identity and years of conversion to a different life, Cosco still felt the pull of blood and family. In recent years, she re‑connected with her father in prison, describing an emptiness that drove her to seek that link even as she tried to rebuild life within society.

Friends and supporters said the women’s support group Libera, led by co‑president Francesca Rispoli, and Senator Enza Rando, counselled the tragic loss as a “wound to the entire country”. Rispoli stressed the difficulty of breaking the close‑knit bonds that pervade organised crime families, arguing that support for witnesses must “go beyond a single year” to keep them safe worldwide.

The prosecutors are now opening a probe into possible incitement of suicide. They have seized Cosco’s phone for analysis, while the police are investigating how her mental health was monitored during the years of protection.

Friends were due to gather in Milan on Friday evening to remember Cosco near the site where her mother’s life was violently torn from her. The event stressed that the fragile balance between courage and suffering has now been irrevocably broken.

If you or someone you know is affected by suicide or depression, the BBC Action Line provides support and information on professional services.