Tragic death of woman who testified against father in notorious mafia murder of mother

Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Lea Garofalo has become a symbol for women protesting against mafia violence

A woman who testified against her own father after her mother was murdered in a notorious mafia killing in Italy is believed to have taken her own life.

Denise Cosco was found critically injured on Sunday and died later in hospital in Rome.

Her mother Lea Garofalo, who was killed in 2009, became a powerful symbol of resistance to the mafia after turning witness for the state against the 'Ndrangheta clan in southern Italy.

Those close to Cosco recall her bravery in speaking out at her father's trial, but also her tremendous struggle in the years that followed.

At 35, she died at the same age her mother was when she was murdered.