Milan prosecutors have ordered an autopsy on the body of Erika Ferini Strambi, 53, discovered deceased on July 16 in farmland between Pantigliate and Peschiera Borromeo near Milan. Ferini Strambi had been missing since the night of July 5-6. An agricultural worker found her body approximately 200 meters from her car, which was located in a ditch.
The case, assigned to prosecutor Francesco De Tommasi and investigated by the Carabinieri’s Investigative Unit, is being treated as a homicide. The date for the autopsy, expected to clarify the cause of death, should be announced tomorrow.
The last known images of Ferini Strambi, captured on CCTV, show her driving on provincial roads between Linate Airport and the Lodigiano area after an evening spent at a karaoke bar. Crucially, she was traveling in the opposite direction of her home in Milan, where she lived alone. Her father reported her disappearance.
Investigators noted her car doors were locked with keys inside. Her body was found in a hard-to-reach location, particularly significant as the 53-year-old required crutches due to a disability. No purse, identification documents, or mobile phone were found at the scene. Adding to the suspicion, her underwear was discovered removed and left beside the body, leading investigators to theorize the Luxottica HR employee may have encountered someone before her death.
The woman’s mobile phone has been switched off since dawn on July 6 and last connected to the same cell tower. Investigators suggest the battery may have died, potentially after being discarded nearby.