A horrific discovery in Rome’s Villa Pamphili park has led to the arrest of an American man in Greece. The bodies of a woman and her infant daughter were found on Saturday, June 7th, sparking a frantic international investigation. Initial reports from the Italian daily *Corriere della Sera* suggest the mother was killed several days before the infant, whose body was discovered several hundred yards away from her mother’s.
The investigation quickly turned international when Greek authorities apprehended an American man on the island of Skiathos on Friday, June 13th. He was detained on a European arrest warrant issued by Italy, and will face an extradition hearing next week. While the suspect remains unidentified, Greek police confirmed the arrest to the Associated Press. The details surrounding his relationship to the victims are still emerging, but Italian authorities believe he was found near the victims at a shelter for the needy near the Vatican.
According to *Corriere della Sera*, crucial evidence linking the suspect to the crime scene included fingerprints on a black bag covering the mother’s body and a fragment of a tent, similar to those provided to homeless individuals. Mobile phone data also played a significant role in tracking the suspect to Greece. Further details from the newspaper describe the mother, approximately 30 years old, as having a distinctive tattoo of a skeleton on a surfboard. Additional items found near the bodies, including a pink dress in a nearby trash can, a bra, and a sleeping bag, are currently being analyzed by forensic teams.
Italian police, who have been tight-lipped about the case until a scheduled press conference, believe the man returned to the park where the mother’s body was left, and subsequently killed the infant. The investigation involved the meticulous collection of approximately 40 pieces of evidence from the scene, highlighting the thoroughness of the Italian authorities’ efforts. The case remains under investigation, but the swift arrest of a suspect suggests a significant breakthrough in this tragic double homicide.
