Emanuela Orlandi | |
|---|---|
 Missing person poster made for Orlandi, used in Rome in 1983 | |
| Born | 14 January 1968 Rome, Italy |
| Disappeared | 22 June 1983 (aged 15) Rome, Italy |
| Status | Missing for 41 years, 1 month and 16 days |
| Nationality | Vatican |
| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Pietro Orlandi (brother) Natalina Orlandi (sister) Federica Orlandi (sister) Maria Cristina Orlandi (sister) |
Emanuela Orlandi (born 14 January 1968) was a Vatican teenager who mysteriously disappeared while returning home from music school in Rome on 22 June 1983.[2] The case received worldwide attention due to the public appeal of Pope John Paul II for her release after an unnamed terrorist organisation claimed to be holding the girl in exchange for the liberation of Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turkish terrorist who two years before attempted to assassinate the Pope. However, the subsequent investigation discovered that the allegation of international terrorism was a misdirection, and the real motive of the disappearance remains unknown.
The case was the subject of two judicial investigations, the first between 1983 and 1997, the second between 2008 and 2015, both closed without finding a solution. The case was opened again in 2023 both by the Vatican magistrates, by the Rome Prosecutor's Office, and by a bicameral parliamentary commission, thus being the subject of three investigations simultaneously.
Over the course of decades, the case has created much speculation about the involvement of international terrorism, organized crime, the role of a possible serial killer, a possible familiar trail, and a plot inside the Holy See to cover up a sex scandal involving ecclesiastical figures. Orlandi's family, in particular her brother Pietro, have consistently pressed the Vatican for the release of information about the case, believing that the Holy See knew more than it admitted. The Vatican has always maintained strict silence about the matter, denying any accusation of involvement.[3]
- ^ Nicotri, Pino (7 July 2016). "Emanuela Orlandi, DNA diverso da mamma Maria...ma di quale Emanuela?" [Emanuela Orlandi, DNA different from mother Maria...but which Emanuela?]. Blitz quotidiano (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ Collman, Ashley. "Here's everything we know about the 1983 disappearance of 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi – the cold case that is being revived after bones were found beneath a Vatican building". Insider. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Allen, Elise Ann (22 June 2021). "38 years after teen's disappearance, brother condemns Vatican's 'silence'". Crux. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.