Table of Contents
- Key to Disappearance
- Investigation of Laura Casagrande
- Final Interaction Details
- Witness Reliability Issues
- Family Pleas for Truth
The childhood friend of a Vatican schoolgirl who disappeared over 40 years ago may hold the crucial information regarding her mysterious vanishing.
Laura Casagrande, 57, is currently under investigation by Roman authorities after allegations surfaced that she misled prosecutors.
Emanuela Orlandi, 15, vanished over 40 years agoCredit: Not known clear with picture desk
Laura Casagrande is currently under investigation for allegedly deceiving authoritiesCredit: Refer to source
The girls were friends from a music school in central Rome (Orlandi pictured)Credit: AP:Associated Press
Casagrande may have been the last person to see Orlandi after they left a music class together in central Rome on June 22, 1983.
Just days later, Orlandi's home received a phone call from Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman imprisoned for shooting and injuring Pope John Paul II just two years earlier.
Orlandi was only 15 years old when she disappeared without a trace.
For many years, the missing teenager has been viewed as a pawn in attempts to secure Agca’s release, as well as a means to pressure the Vatican bank into repaying mafia funds that had been redirected to support the Solidarity trade union in Cold War Poland.
Speculation regarding the reasons for her enigmatic disappearance has included rumors that she may have been pregnant and was hiding in London.
Following the release of the 2022 Netflix documentary, Vatican Girl, both Italy and the Vatican reopened investigations into the case, and the Italian parliament initiated a commission of inquiry.
During this commission, one of the first witnesses to provide testimony was Casagrande.
Throughout her questioning, she repeatedly apologized for the gaps in her memory regarding the critical moments of her last interaction with Orlandi.
The Orlandi family lawyer, Laura Sgrò, stated that Casagrande had “made contradictory statements.”
“It is evident that she is being evasive,” she added.
“Is she covering for someone? What is causing this fear even after so many years?”
Other school friends have also proven to be unreliable witnesses, either traumatized by Orlandi's disappearance or intimidated in the years that followed.
One example is Raffaella Monzi, a colleague of Orlandi from the music school, who reported being followed and threatened and has since been admitted to a psychiatric clinic.
Another witness, Pierluigi Magnesio, was a classmate of the missing girl in high school.
The teenager vanished after attending a music class with CasagrandeCredit: Rex Features
Pietro Orlandi, Emanuela's brother, has been advocating for his sister since her disappearanceCredit: Reuters
Her disappearance has remained a mystery for four decadesCredit: AP:Associated Press
He called a television crime show to declare, “If I speak, they will kill me.”
“It is shocking that after 42 years this atmosphere still exists,” Sgrò said.
“It is appalling. We hope that if Casagrande knows something, she will finally reveal it.
“These individuals have faced immense
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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