A woman believed to be a 44-year-old German national has been found decapitated in a park in Scandicci, near Florence, and Italian authorities have arrested a North African migrant in connection with the gruesome murder.
The victim’s body was discovered late Wednesday morning in the former site of the National Research Council. The remains were located near an abandoned building, just 100 meters from the local high school, that had been walled up to prevent unauthorized access, but which was reportedly being used by squatters.
Initial reports suggested the woman had been stabbed, and investigators later confirmed that a blood-stained machete had been seized as evidence at the scene. Authorities believe the victim’s head had been severed and that her body was dismembered in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, as cited by Bild, a man who apparently knew the victim had been secretly living inside the abandoned structure from which the emergency call was made. He has since been arrested. The suspect, described by La Repubblica as a North African man with prior convictions for drug offenses. Despite his criminal record, he remained in Italy.
The man owned a pit bull that was allegedly guarding the body when police arrived. Officers were initially unable to approach the remains for around an hour because the dog would not let anyone near. Once the animal was secured, investigators were able to recover the suspected murder weapon and begin detailed forensic work.
No identification documents were found on the victim. While she is believed to be a 44-year-old German woman, a DNA test will be carried out to confirm her identity. An autopsy has also been ordered to determine the precise cause and time of death.
Prosecutors are still working to establish whether the woman was killed at the site in Scandicci or whether her body was transported there in an effort to hide it. Investigators currently suspect the perpetrator attempted to clean the area after the killing in order to destroy evidence.
“We learned from press sources that a terrible tragedy occurred today in Scandicci that deeply alarms us,” said Scandicci Mayor Claudia Sereni, as cited by Sky TG24. “We express our utmost confidence in the work of law enforcement and the investigation coordinated by the Florence Public Prosecutor’s Office, confident that full clarity will be shed on what happened.”
“We know that, along with collaboration with law enforcement and an increasingly widespread presence throughout the area, we must invest heavily in the social capacity to prevent tragedies like these, including addressing marginalization and the complex implications of social degradation, which municipalities are too isolated and under-resourced to address,” she added.
