For years, Denise Cosco lived under a false identity after helping Italian authorities prosecute the people responsible for her mother’s murder.

Now, her death has raised new questions about the dangers faced by people who break away from Italy’s powerful organized crime networks.

Cosco died earlier this month after falling from the apartment where she lived with her husband and four-year-old son in Rome. She was 35 years old.

Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation to determine what happened. One possibility being examined is whether organized crime figures may have played a role by pressuring or influencing her before the fall.

Authorities have not established that her death was connected to the mafia, and no suicide note was found.

A daughter who testified against her father

Cosco’s mother, Lea Garofalo, had previously broken away from the ‘Ndrangheta, the powerful organized crime network originating in Calabria.

Garofalo testified to Italian authorities about drug trafficking and criminal activities involving members of her family. She had hoped to protect Denise from being raised within the mafia environment.

In November 2009, Garofalo disappeared after traveling with her daughter and her former partner, Carlo Cosco.

Three years later, investigators discovered evidence of her murder. Her remains had been burned and concealed, and one of the men involved eventually helped authorities locate them.

A necklace found among the remains allowed Denise to identify her mother’s body.

Cosco later testified against her father and Carmine Venturino, who had been her boyfriend at the time. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment, although Venturino’s sentence was subsequently reduced.

Years under a false identity

Following her testimony, Cosco entered Italy’s witness protection program and spent approximately six years living under an identity created by the state.

Her mother had also spent years attempting to escape the reach of the mafia and had previously sought protection for herself and her daughter.

At Garofalo’s funeral in 2013, Cosco spoke from behind bulletproof glass. She thanked her mother for giving her strength and said she would never stop remembering her.

Garofalo later became an important symbol in Italy’s fight against organized crime. Streets, schools and public spaces have been named in her memory.

The risks of leaving organized crime

Cosco’s case has renewed scrutiny of Italy’s witness protection system, particularly for people who leave criminal organizations or testify against relatives.

Italy’s Interior Ministry says thousands of people are enrolled in the country’s witness protection program. Participants can receive a new identity, accommodation, employment and financial assistance.

However, anti-mafia prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti said witnesses can face significant difficulties, including financial limitations and problems maintaining long-term protection.

Italian authorities periodically reassess protection arrangements. If investigators conclude that a person’s testimony cannot be sufficiently corroborated or that a threat no longer exists, protection can potentially be withdrawn.

Cerreti argued that more time and resources could help authorities protect witnesses more effectively and encourage others to come forward.

Questions surrounding Cosco’s death

Cosco’s husband was at home when she fell and was questioned by investigators, but he has not been identified as a suspect.

Her father, who remains in prison, reportedly said through his lawyer that he and his daughter had begun rebuilding their relationship. The details of that relationship have not been publicly established.

Investigators have seized Cosco’s phones and electronic devices as they examine whether she had received threats connected to her mother’s murder or whether other circumstances may have contributed to her death.

Her lawyer, Enza Rando, who represented her during the case against her father, argued that the state also bears responsibility for ensuring adequate protection and support for people who testify against criminal organizations.

“The mafia kills in many ways,” Rando said, describing the long-lasting consequences experienced by relatives of victims and former members of criminal groups.

A warning for future witnesses

Cosco’s death has deeply affected Italian anti-mafia investigators and people currently living under witness protection.

Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri said the case could make it more difficult to persuade people from organized crime families to cooperate with authorities.

Giuseppe Carini, another protected witness, said people who cooperate with the justice system should have the opportunity not merely to survive but to rebuild ordinary lives.

Following Cosco’s death, her aunt Marisa Garofalo shared a photograph of Denise holding a shirt bearing her mother’s name.

Because Cosco had lived under a false identity, only a small circle of trusted relatives knew what she looked like.

Her aunt wrote that Denise no longer had to hide.

Source: CNN, “The tragic death of a woman who testified against her mafia father after he murdered her mother,” by Barbie Latza Nadeau.