The case of elderly Italians abandoned by a Romanian woman 1,400 km from home: suspicious withdrawals of money from accounts
A Romanian caregiver is at the center of an investigation in Italy, after she allegedly moved an elderly couple from the north of the country to an asylum in Sicily and left them there, in conditions that raise several question marks for the authorities.
The Romanian woman took the elderly she was supposed to take care of to the asylum. PHOTO: Shutterstock
The case came to the attention of the Italian authorities after the disappearance of an elderly couple from the north of the country was reported to the deputy mayor by some concerned neighbors. Following an extensive investigation, the two pensioners, under the care of a Romanian woman, were later found at a distance of approximately 1,400 kilometers from their home, in an asylum in Sicily.
Their move from the province of Como to the south of Italy, in the region of Sicily, is now being analyzed by investigators under the aspect of possible fraud and abuse, especially in the context in which suspicions related to unusual movements of money from the accounts of the two elderly people have also appeared.
The investigation concerns both the way in which the movement was carried out over a distance of approximately 1,400 kilometers, as well as the circumstances in which the elderly ended up being hospitalized by the Romanian nurse in an asylum in Sicily.
According to the publication La Provincia di Como, the two pensioners, an 82-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman, lived in Appiano Gentile, a town in the province of Como, in the Lombardy region. Both suffered from health problems and were childless.
Disappearance reported by neighbors
The alarm was raised by the neighbors, who had not seen the two old men for several days in a row, which is why they contacted the local authorities, including the deputy mayor Luigi Caldi, who used to periodically bring them hygiene products and check on them.
“I was called by the neighbors, worried because they hadn't heard from the husbands for several days. They had closed their house on Friday and hadn't seen them since.” he declared.
The deputy mayor also said that he went to the home of the elderly, where he found the house closed, and then tried to contact them by phone, but none of them answered. The situation raised serious fears, including the possibility of a serious incident inside the home, which is why several institutions were alerted: the town hall, the local police and the carabinieri.
After the launch of the investigation, the first data showed that the two would have left the house one morning, getting into a vehicle, after which they were lost. In order to identify the route, the authorities collaborated with the only relative of the old people who lived in the same town as them and with law enforcement from several regions.
The relative of the two made available the telephone number of the Romanian caretaker, who had previously been removed from work due to suspicions, but was later rehired by the two husbands.
Ultimately, the authorities determined that the final destination was Vizzini, a town in the province of Catania in Sicily, about 1,400 kilometers away from Como.
Interned in an asylum
According to the statements of the mayor Fabrizio Rusconi, the Romanian would have convinced the elderly couple she was supposed to take care of to follow her to Sicily, claiming that they would benefit from better conditions there. Once at the destination, she contacted a home for the elderly in the area and signed the hospitalization formalities.
Later, he left them in the asylum, saying that he would return shortly with the necessary things, but he never came back and the authorities have not yet managed to find her.
Suspicions regarding the money in the accounts
In parallel with the disappearance of the carer, the investigators discovered suspicious withdrawals from the bank accounts of the two elderly people, both before and in the context of their move to Sicily. For this reason, the case is being investigated under the aspect of possible crimes of fraud on vulnerable people and misappropriation of goods.
At this moment, the Romanian woman is reported missing, and the authorities continue to search for her. After being located in the asylum in Sicily, the two old men are to be brought back home, where the local authorities are looking for a long-term social assistance solution for them.
