proceedings. If I know the judge who wrote it, I immediately form an opinion about whether it’s a serious matter or not. After the judicial order, I read the other documents, working backward from last to first. I do the same thing if I’ve been hired after a trial verdict has been handed down, meaning first I read the court order that I’m being hired to appeal, and then I read everything else.
But in the case of the missing Manuela Ferraro, I thought it would be best to retrace the investigation as itdeveloped, through the documents, doing my best to intuit whatever I could about the story behind those documents.
It was what’s called a “Form 44 file,” in reference to the papers filed in cases with unknown defendants. Printed on the cover were the name of the missing person, the date of her disappearance, and the classification of the crime—Article 605 of the Italian Penal Code, abduction. This is the only crime heading that can be invoked when a person disappears and there is no evidence to support other, more specific theories.
The first document in the file was the report from the Carabinieri—signed by Inspector Navarra, a non-commissioned officer I knew and respected—informing the prosecutor’s office of the existence of the missing persons report filed by the parents and the transcripts of the investigation’s early interviews.
I began with the statement of the young woman who had taken Manuela to the train station. Anita Salvemini—that was her name—had also been a guest at the
trulli
where Manuela spent the weekend. She’d given Manuela a ride because she was going to Ostuni to meet some friends, but that was the first and only time they’d met.
During the twenty minutes of the short car trip from the
trulli
to the train station, they chatted about inconsequential matters. Manuela told her she was studying law in Rome and said she planned to return to Rome by train later that evening or the next morning.
No, Anita didn’t know whether Manuela was planning to meet someone at the Bari train station, nor did she know if Manuela was seeing anyone, had a boyfriend, and so on.
No, Manuela hadn’t seemed worried to her. Moreover, she hadn’t really observed her carefully for the obviousreason that she—Anita—was driving the car, and she therefore needed to keep her eyes on the road.
No, she didn’t recall Manuela making or receiving any calls during the car trip between the
trulli
and the Ostuni train station. Manuela may have taken her cell phone out of her purse at some point. Maybe she got a text, or sent one, but Anita couldn’t really say with any certainty.
No, she couldn’t remember exactly how Manuela was dressed that afternoon. She’d definitely had a large dark-colored bag with her, and a smaller purse, and she thought she might have been wearing jeans and a light-colored t-shirt.
No, she couldn’t remember the exact time of their departure from the
trulli
, nor could she remember exactly when they arrived at the train station and she said good-bye to Manuela. They probably left a little after four, which would mean they got there around 4:30.
No, she couldn’t say exactly when Manuela’s train was scheduled to depart. Probably shortly after they arrived at Ostuni, but that was a guess, because she had no memory of having talked about it.
No, she had nothing more to add.
Read, approved, and signed.
After that deposition came the statements of the three friends—two young women and a young man—who’d been at the
trulli
with Manuela. These three statements were short and said basically the same thing: They’d planned to return to Bari on Sunday night. Then, because there was a party, the three friends had decided to stay until Monday. Manuela still wanted to go home on Sunday, as they had originally planned. She told them not to worry, because she’d found a ride to Ostuni, and she planned to catch a train there.
The end.
Then came the statement of the ticket
But in the case of the missing Manuela Ferraro, I thought it would be best to retrace the investigation as itdeveloped, through the documents, doing my best to intuit whatever I could about the story behind those documents.
It was what’s called a “Form 44 file,” in reference to the papers filed in cases with unknown defendants. Printed on the cover were the name of the missing person, the date of her disappearance, and the classification of the crime—Article 605 of the Italian Penal Code, abduction. This is the only crime heading that can be invoked when a person disappears and there is no evidence to support other, more specific theories.
The first document in the file was the report from the Carabinieri—signed by Inspector Navarra, a non-commissioned officer I knew and respected—informing the prosecutor’s office of the existence of the missing persons report filed by the parents and the transcripts of the investigation’s early interviews.
I began with the statement of the young woman who had taken Manuela to the train station. Anita Salvemini—that was her name—had also been a guest at the
trulli
where Manuela spent the weekend. She’d given Manuela a ride because she was going to Ostuni to meet some friends, but that was the first and only time they’d met.
During the twenty minutes of the short car trip from the
trulli
to the train station, they chatted about inconsequential matters. Manuela told her she was studying law in Rome and said she planned to return to Rome by train later that evening or the next morning.
No, Anita didn’t know whether Manuela was planning to meet someone at the Bari train station, nor did she know if Manuela was seeing anyone, had a boyfriend, and so on.
No, Manuela hadn’t seemed worried to her. Moreover, she hadn’t really observed her carefully for the obviousreason that she—Anita—was driving the car, and she therefore needed to keep her eyes on the road.
No, she didn’t recall Manuela making or receiving any calls during the car trip between the
trulli
and the Ostuni train station. Manuela may have taken her cell phone out of her purse at some point. Maybe she got a text, or sent one, but Anita couldn’t really say with any certainty.
No, she couldn’t remember exactly how Manuela was dressed that afternoon. She’d definitely had a large dark-colored bag with her, and a smaller purse, and she thought she might have been wearing jeans and a light-colored t-shirt.
No, she couldn’t remember the exact time of their departure from the
trulli
, nor could she remember exactly when they arrived at the train station and she said good-bye to Manuela. They probably left a little after four, which would mean they got there around 4:30.
No, she couldn’t say exactly when Manuela’s train was scheduled to depart. Probably shortly after they arrived at Ostuni, but that was a guess, because she had no memory of having talked about it.
No, she had nothing more to add.
Read, approved, and signed.
After that deposition came the statements of the three friends—two young women and a young man—who’d been at the
trulli
with Manuela. These three statements were short and said basically the same thing: They’d planned to return to Bari on Sunday night. Then, because there was a party, the three friends had decided to stay until Monday. Manuela still wanted to go home on Sunday, as they had originally planned. She told them not to worry, because she’d found a ride to Ostuni, and she planned to catch a train there.
The end.
Then came the statement of the ticket
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