Unresolved: Vatican Girl Emanuela Orlandi’s Disappearance
Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi: A Haunting Mystery
In the scorching heat of June 22, 1983, in Rome, Italy, 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi asked her older brother Pietro for a ride to her flute lesson. Despite the unbearable temperature, Pietro refused, and Emanuela walked alone to her music school outside Vatican City.
“It’s a very painful memory – she insisted I take her, and we rowed over it,” Pietro recalled. “Then she left, slamming the door. I never thought it would be the last time I saw her. I’ve gone over it so many times, telling myself if only I had accompanied her, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.”
Before reaching the school, Emanuela received a job offer from a man claiming to represent Avon Products. She called her sister Federica to discuss it, but Federica advised against accepting the offer. Undeterred, Emanuela shared the news with her classmates and waited at a bus stop with another girl.
When Emanuela didn’t return home, her family grew worried and began searching for her. They reported her missing, but initial police dismissiveness delayed the investigation. However, the family’s persistence led to newspaper notices and eyewitness accounts of Emanuela speaking to a man with an Avon cosmetic bag.
Pietro Orlandi (C), Emanuela Orlandi’s brother, attends the march to St. Peter’s Square on June 25, 2023 in Rome, Italy. Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the family of Emanuela Orlandi, on the 40th anniversary of her disappearance. (Photo by Stefano Montesi – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
And Then The Phone Calls Began
The Orlandi family received numerous phone calls after posting their number in the paper. Three calls stood out, including one from a man named Pierluigi who claimed to have spoken to Emanuela on the day she disappeared. Another call came from a man named Mario, who said a girl resembling Emanuela had visited his bar and claimed to have run away.
On July 3, Pope John Paul II mentioned Emanuela in his weekly remarks, urging her kidnappers to release her. This led to speculation about the Vatican’s involvement. Shortly after, an American caller demanded Emanuela’s release in exchange for the freedom of Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who attempted to assassinate the pope.
To this day, the identities of these callers remain unknown.
Theories
Over the next four decades, various individuals claimed knowledge of Emanuela’s kidnapping. Theories ranged from involvement of a Turkish organization called Turkesh to the mafia’s attempt to extort money from the Vatican. Some even suggested a cover-up within the Vatican involving high-ranking officials and sexual scandals.
Despite these claims, investigators lean towards the possibility that Emanuela ran away or left with someone she knew. They question how she could have been kidnapped on a busy street without anyone noticing.
Pietro Orlandi, Emanuela Orlandi’s brother, speaks participants before the march to St. Peter’s Square on June 25, 2023 in Rome, Italy.(Photo by Stefano Montesi – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The most recent theory, which the Orlandi family vehemently denies, suggests that Emanuela’s now-deceased uncle, Mario Meneguzzi, may have been responsible. However, documents provided by the Vatican indicate that Mario was on holiday with his family at the time of Emanuela’s disappearance.
It has been 40 years since Emanuela vanished, leaving her family with unanswered questions and no closure. Her body remains undiscovered, and the truth behind her disappearance remains elusive.
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