Martina Patti claimed her child was taken by three men before confessing a day later in Mascalucia A woman in Sicily has been arrested after admitting killing her four-year-old daughter having initially claimed the child was taken by hooded kidnappers for a ransom The body of Elena Del Pozzo was found in a field close to her home in Mascalucia had opened the door of her car and snatched the child after she collected her from nursery school Police quickly ruled out organised crime and did not believe the child had been abducted for a ransom as they did not consider the family wealthy enough to be a target of extortion Patti admitted to the killing during questioning and took police to the body which had been hidden under earth and volcanic ash from Mount Etna She has been arrested on suspicion of murder and concealing a corpse Police said during a press conference that Elena was killed with a kitchen knife They described “a horrendous crime committed in a solitary manner” by someone who “didn’t know why” she had done it Patti allegedly said during questioning: “I don’t remember what went through my mind when I stabbed by daughter.” She had reportedly been separated from Elena’s father for some time Rai News reported that Patti may have been driven by jealousy towards her ex-partner’s current girlfriend whom she could not tolerate “showing affection towards her daughter” The prosecutor said “various inconsistencies” emerged over the kidnap claims during a “long interrogation” The defence lawyer Gabriele Celesti told Rai: “It was a dramatic interrogation of a destroyed and tried women who did something that she didn’t think she could do either.” It is a unique drama that we never wanted to hear.” Four-year-old Elena Del Pozzo was cold-bloodedly murdered in a field by her mother who stabbed her more than ten times with a knife in Mascalucia The autopsy carried out on the young girl’s body on Friday established the girl had been stabbed at least eleven times Although the murder weapon has still not been recovered by investigators indications are that a kitchen knife was used Doctor Giuseppe Ragazzi from Catania’s Cannizzaro Hospital mortuary said it results the girl did not die immediately and was possibly still alive when she was buried The doctor added that Elena was probably murdered about one hour after her midday meal which she had eaten at the kindergarten before her mother picked her up from the school at about 1.00 p.m Patti got hold of an axe and a spade so that after killing the girl she could dig a hole in the field to bury the body Patti gave herself up to the Police and confessed to the murder after having reported that her daughter had been snatched by three armed and hooded men The woman also revealed she had dumped the girl’s body in a field some 200 metres away from her home She further admitted she had wrapped her daughter’s body in five black garbage bags The girl’s mother was arrested and is being charged with her daughter’s murder as well as with concealing the body the motive for the murder has still to be established It is being reported that possibly the mother killed the girl in a fit of jealousy or pique with her former husband who is living a tranquil life with another partner the girl’s father Alessandro Del Pozzo said he thought his ex-wife had carried out this macabre act as she hated the girl and frequently used to incite her against the father Elena’s funeral is being held at Catania Cathedral on Wednesday at 5.00 p.m Juża l-ħiliet tiegħu biex ikun komunikatur tajjeb Malta U-21 international Andrei Agius yesterday completed his transfer move from Mascalucia Calcio to Sicily neighbours Messina with whom he will play next season in the 'Primavera' championship Eighteen-year-old midfielder Agius was monitored last season during his stint with Mascalucia in the regional league Messina youth sector director Claudio Lucchini yesterday told reporters that Agius will play in the Serie A club's youth side in 2005/06 He will play in the national league and also in the popular Viareggio Tournament in February Lucchini is expecting Agius to make the most of his experience with Messina to lift his profile and perhaps secure a place in the senior squad Agius said: "Playing in Sicily last season was a useful experience for me With Messina it will be more difficult but I'm looking forward to this new challenge as I intend to continue my career abroad." The Sicilians will be launching their nursery school in Malta next month - Mondo Messina Junior Trials have already taken place at the Luxol Grounds There were 600 applicants for 150 vacancies The training headquarters has not been identified yet but training sessions will definitely start in a few weeks' time who showed the best skills during the trials were selected to join their peers in Sicily for a 15-day training camp conducted by Messina coaches please register for free or log in to your account Mascalucia has a high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 2,200 quakes on average per year in or near Mascalucia Mascalucia has had at least 3 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 40 to 45 years The last earthquake in Mascalucia occurred 24 hours ago and had a magnitude of 1.9: Mag. 1.9 earthquake Tyrrhenian Sea - Sicily, Italy - writeAge(1746411351)A light magnitude 1.9 earthquake occurred in the Tyrrhenian Sea near Isola Vulcano island The quake had a moderate depth of 118 km (73 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Mascalucia has had 1 quake of magnitude 2.3 There were also 15 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The quake had a very shallow depth of 20 km (12 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).