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Missing Padova Student Annabella Martinelli Found Hanged Near Teolo

Prosecutors say suicide is the most plausible hypothesis as an autopsy and forensic examinations move ahead.

Overview

  • Her body was discovered by a passerby in a wooded garden off Via Euganea in Villa di Teolo, a short distance from where her purple bicycle had been locked.
  • Investigators found her switched-off phone on her and a backpack beneath the spot where she was found, and the area was secured for on-site forensic work.
  • Authorities have ordered an autopsy in Padua and the judicial inquiry remains open after days of searches by carabinieri, firefighters, drones, dogs and volunteers.
  • CCTV showed her cycling toward the Colli Euganei on January 6 after buying two pizzas, and a 19-year-old witness reported seeing her later that night walking the bike and appearing calm without a phone.
  • The Padua prosecutor had initially opened a kidnapping file to enable investigative checks, and some outlets report farewell notes in her backpack, a detail not confirmed by prosecutors.