A joyful family reunion in Buenos Aires ended in unimaginable heartbreak when five family members died from carbon monoxide poisoning — leaving only a one-year-old boy alive.
On July 1, 2025, a tragic scene unfolded in the quiet neighborhood of Villa Devoto, where authorities discovered the bodies of five relatives inside a home on Sanabria Street. The family had gathered just the day before to celebrate being together again after years apart.
Emergency services were alerted when a worried relative couldn’t reach the family and went to check on them. Upon arriving at the two-story residence near the Villa Devoto train station, firefighters ventilated the house, and medical teams from SAME confirmed five people had passed away.
On the first floor, rescuers found 43-year-old Andrés De Nastochnike, his 40-year-old French partner Marie Camille Lalanne, and their four-year-old daughter, Elisa. In another room, their one-year-old son, Milo, was discovered alive but showing signs of gas exposure. He was rushed to Zubizarreta Hospital and later transferred to Ricardo Gutiérrez Children’s Hospital for specialized care.
Upstairs, police found Andrés’s elderly parents: 79-year-old Demetrio De Nastochnike and 74-year-old Graciela Leonor Just. The couple had lived in the house for many years and had just welcomed their son and his family visiting from Genoa, Italy, for what was supposed to be a long-awaited reunion.
The joyous arrival was captured by Andrés’s siblings, Maia and Alejandro, in photos shared on social media (now set to private), showing their emotional greeting at Ezeiza International Airport.
The next day, when Maia couldn’t get in touch with them, she rushed to the house, opened the door, and was overcome by the gas, fainting temporarily before managing to call for help.
Neighbors described the family as kind and deeply engaged in the community. “They were wonderful, devoted people who always took part in neighborhood events,” one local resident shared.
Prosecutor Dr. Rosende and Secretary Dr. Rosasco from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 48 are leading the investigation. Firefighters reported with “99 percent certainty” that carbon monoxide inhalation caused the deaths.
The Forensic Police are supporting this conclusion, while experts continue to analyze the home’s gas systems and appliances to determine how the deadly gas built up inside.
The family’s story carried a rich historical legacy. Demetrio was born in Belgium and held multiple degrees, including a business degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a master’s in education from the Catholic University of Salta. He was a professor of economics and directed the Business Administration program at the National Military College.
His ancestors had Russian roots, reportedly descending from a tsar’s servant who was granted nobility after being injured in battle against the Tatars in 1327. The family fled Russia after the 1917 Revolution, traveling through Yugoslavia and Belgium before settling in Argentina, where Demetrio’s father established a toy factory, Magnifico.
Demetrio often spoke fondly of Argentina, saying it had given them safety and opportunities. In Moscow, a street and House-Museum still carry the family’s name as a tribute to their heritage.
Andrés followed a different path, becoming a software engineer and working in Italy for the last decade. He held positions at ManyDesigns in Genoa, Leonardo Company, and other international firms. He completed his software engineering degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina in 2006.
Now, as investigators work to understand exactly how this tragedy happened, the miraculous survival of little Milo has offered a small glimmer of hope amid overwhelming grief.