Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004290125
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jeff Debell
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
The 56-year-old artist is all right, members of her family said.
According to information received by the family later in the week, Branch landed in Milan but failed to make travel connections for Pisa, the next leg of her journey. A couple she had met at the train station offered her a lift by auto to a town near Carrara. The family said Branch accepted and was robbed, after apparently being drugged during a stop for coffee.
Police found her unconscious in a roadside grill. She was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to a larger hospital in Genoa. She awoke there after being unconscious for approximately 10 hours.
Friends picked Branch up and took her on to Carrara, where she is recovering. She was robbed of her money and passport, two pairs of eyeglasses, 40 slides of her work, and even her shoes.
Branch has worked on her sculpture at Carrara annually for several years. The area is famous for its marble.
Her family said she will carry out her plans to work there and go to Paris in May for a group exhibit that will include her work.
by CNB