Pregnant Mom Shot in the Head Gives Birth Four Months Later While in Coma

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 6, 2014   |   12:29PM   |   Naples, Italy

Carolina Sepe was ten weeks pregnant when she was shot in the head by a neighbor in her Italian hometown. She was left in a coma but, four months later, doctors performed a Caesarean to save the baby.

Sadly, Sepe (left) died on Saturday, 16 days after Maria Liliana was born. The baby weighed 1.1kg and is being kept on life support, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper. The mayor of Lauro, Antonio Bossone, said the town will support the child, named Maria Liliana, ‘to help her grow and to guarantee a serene future’, the paper reported.

The shooter, Domenico Aschettino, meant to target Carolina’s father after a dispute about a car accident. He burst into the family home and fatally wounded Vincenzo with a pistol and then  turned his gun on other family members. Carolina’s brother and mother were wounded and her grandmother fatally injured.

Carolina’s husband, Giampiero Siniscalchi, escaped the massacre with the couple’s two-year-old son, Eliseo, and he’s happy about the birth. He said: ‘I am sure my wife can hear me and hear the voice of our son.’

He also said his wife had tears rolling down her cheeks when he played a recording of their son for her while she lay comatose. He believed she would recover.

From the story:

Sepe remained in a coma as her pregnancy continued, and her husband was optimistic she would regain consciousness. “I recorded a video of Eliseo on my phone and when I made (Carolina) listen to his voice, I cried,” he told Corriere della Sera. “I did it again and she cried again. I am sure my wife can hear me and hear the voice of our son. I am sure she understands. She cannot communicate or move, but she can understand. She can heal and come home.”

But in mid-December, Sepe’s vital signs grew weaker and doctors decided to perform a cesearean before it was too late. “The patient’s condition had worsened and so we opted to intervene,” said Franco Paradiso, the director of the Calderelli hospital.

On Saturday, 16 days after her daughter, named Maria Liliana, was born, Sepe died.