CAMBRIDGE – A researcher in Medical Bio-pathology, Simona Baronchelli, 32, was found dead Wednesday in her hotel room in this university city where she was staying for a conference, police reports say no traces of violence were to be found on the body.

 It is almost certain that the victim died of natural causes, sources claim, although nothing is certain until the autopsy results are revealed. After this step, the body shall be returned to her hometown of the Brianza area, Vimercate, where the funeral shall take place this weekend.

 Paul Vezzoni, Director of the Institute of Genetics and Biomedical Science, worked for Baronchelli and said of the news of her death, “Simona was a great researcher, with us for many years.” He admitted to not having knowledge of any medical issues, claiming maybe this was down to “privacy issues, although she passed all our recent medical tests.”

 Simona was motherless since a young age as her mother passed away early on in her childhood. Her father Luigi said, “She suffered from significant allergies since a young age (…) Simona had no enemies, I even cannot imagine that anyone would have done wrong to her. I hope that the pathologists provide a clear explanation for her death.”

 The researcher specialised in applied genetics, and was engaged in the study of stem cells. Her colleagues said, “She leaves a huge void. Her expertise, her enthusiasm and her dedication to science had seen her involved in several important research projects (…) She was humble person with a great heart, interested in humanitarian projects and an Emergency volunteer.”

 In Cambridge for a workshop on Stem Cell Culture with the National Research Council, based in Milan, Baronchelli participated in conferences. According to colleagues, on Tuesday she had not been present at a business appointment, and alarm bells started ringing when a taxi was booked but never taken.

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