Tommaso Onofri

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Tommaso Onofri (August 2004 - March 2, 2006) was an Italian 18 month old toddler who lived with his parents at Parma, Italy, who was protagonist of a resounding case of a kidnapping in early 2006.

[edit] Kidnapping and death

Tommaso Onofri was abducted from his home, at gunpoint, on March 2, 2006 by two men who tied and gagged his parents. Tommaso suffered from epilepsy and was enduring a febrile state at that time. His kidnappers killed him that very night by hitting him with a shovel, allegedly because they couldn't bear his crying.

The news of his abduction were received angrily by the Italians who reacted with petitions in the media, protest marches and mass prayer in order to convince his captors to return him. Pope Benedict XVI made a personal appeal.

His body was found on April 2, 2006, after one of his captors admitted responsibility for the boy's abduction and killing during a police interrogation.

On April 9, an estimated 50,000 crowd gathered for Onofri's funeral at Parma's cathedral. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Pierferdinando Casini, and the Minister of Transportation, Pietro Lunardi joined the funeral. Bishop Cesare Bonicelli read a message from the Pope.