“The institutions have abandoned us, but I will not stop and I will continue to look for my son. I will bring him home.” There is so much determination in the words of Roberta Carassai, the mother of Alessandro Venturellithe 20-year-old who disappeared in Sassuolo on December 5, 2020. That afternoon, “Alle”, as his parents usually call him, left the house with a backpack containing a book and a few other personal effects. His father, who understood his intentions, stopped him near the gate of the house, inviting him to take a ride in the car in an attempt to dissuade him. However, as soon as the man walked away to secure the dog that was in the rain, the young man ran away. “A handful of seconds and my son was no longer there, as if nothing had disappeared. This is why I am convinced that there was someone waiting for him. He cannot have left on his own. We looked for him immediately and after an hour we had already filed a complaint”, Roberta tells Il Giornale.
Mrs. Roberta Carassai, is there any news?
“Unfortunately, none. Together with my lawyers, Claudio Falleti and Giovanna Ferrari, with the precious support of investigator Marc Di Maggio and IT expert Salvatore Filograno, we are evaluating every possible report or element that could lead us to Alessandro’s trail. It’s tough, but we are doing our best. Also because we have no alternatives, given that the investigations are at a standstill”.
In May 2023, the Modena Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the archiving of the case opened with the hypothesis of voluntary removal. The decision will be communicated on October 7th.
“Yes, this is the second request for archiving. We are ready to file an objection if things do not go as I hope. A missing person is not ‘archived’. Not to mention that I find the hypothesis of voluntary removal inconceivable, given that my son was not himself when he left”.
In what sense?
“Alessandro was going through a moment of deep emotional fragility, he hadn’t been the same for a few months. In the days before his disappearance he slept next to me, he said he was afraid of being alone”.
Did he ever tell you who or what?
“No, he never told me. He kept saying he felt ‘manipulated.’ And then he repeated phrases like ‘Mom, be careful when you go out.’ He also kept an eye on two cars that were passing by in the area and whose license plate numbers he had also written down.”
Have the cars been identified?
“One yes, the other no. But the point is that my son was not lucid, as if he were in a bubble. Roberto, my husband, and I understood that something was wrong. So much so that we suggested that he talk to the psychologist. He accepted, but the Saturday after the first meeting with the specialist he disappeared”.
Did you notice anything strange the morning she disappeared?
“That Saturday morning Alessandro was particularly angry with me. He told me that I had kept him in a ‘glass bell’ for 20 years and much more. It was not like him, given that we had a very deep and affectionate relationship. Then he took the car and went for a ride in a small village in the mountains of Modena. His father joined him and they returned home. He went to eat in his room, alone. In the afternoon, while I was resting, he packed his backpack and left”
Did he leave any messages?
“No, nothing. He didn’t even take his cell phone with him. Moreover, it was from his phone that some targeted searches he made in the days before his disappearance emerged.”
Which?
“He looked for information about Holland and the city of Hilversum in particular, where we had been a few years earlier. But in reality it was more questions, as if he had spoken to someone.”
What kind of questions?
“For example, he asked ‘how far is your house from this city’. The person he was talking to then sent him the coordinates of the place. We also tried to trace the identity of this person but we were unable to do so. The IT expert explained to us that due to an overwriting problem, it is no longer possible to recover some data from the cell phone.”
Have you ever received any reports from Holland?
“Yes. One in particular seemed very credible to me. I have been to Holland twice to personally verify these alleged sightings. I also contacted the Dutch police, who were very helpful, but without a European investigation order it is not possible to extend the searches abroad. And unfortunately the Modena Prosecutor’s Office does not allow us to do so.”
Why?
“Because for them it is a voluntary departure and Alle is also an adult. This is the distorted system that the relatives of a missing person have to deal with. We have done the impossible, but the institutions have completely abandoned us. But rest assured that I will not give up until I can bring my son home. I can assure you of that.”
It’s been almost four years since she disappeared. In hindsight, what do you think might have happened?
“For me there are two hypotheses to consider. Either my son is the victim of a sectarian context, of someone who manipulated him, or he had a moment of mental fog, due to I don’t know what, for which he lost lucidity”.
If you could talk to him, what would you say to Alessandro?
“I would like to tell him that I don’t
I believe that we are here and will always be here for him. I would like to tell him not to worry and that there is a solution to everything. I miss him so much, I can’t live without him anymore. I hope that, wherever he is now, my words reach him”.