Valium found in exhumed patient bodies

(ANSA) - Bergamo, April 12 - Autopsies on the exhumed bodies of five patients who died in suspicious circumstances in a hospital in the village of Piario near Bergamo revealed they all had substantial doses of Valium, a potent sedative, sources said Tuesday. Milan-born nurse Anna Rinelli, 43, has been under investigation since December on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter by injecting heavy unprescribed doses of Valium and other tranquilizers to keep patients sedated during her night shifts, causing their deaths.
    A former patient at the Piario hospital told police that he "lost four days of his life" after falling into a coma beginning on the night of November 1, when Rinelli was on duty.
    The suspected killer nurse is on unpaid leave.