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A body found hidden in the roof of an Italian church last night is thought to be that of a teenage girl who disappeared 17 years ago. Elisa Claps was 16 when she was last seen in 1993 and her disappearance has been a mystery that has gripped Italy for almost two decades.
Officers said they were called to the Most Holy Trinity Church in the centre of Potenza in southern Italy after workmen made the grizzly discovery of human remains. Police said the remains had been found bricked into the roof.
Although DNA tests will be carried out to confirm the identity of the body, family members have said that a necklace, watch, sandals and glasses found at the scene belonged to Elisa. An evening service due to have been held at the church last night was immediately called off as forensic scientists arrived to seal off the roof and building.
Elisa was last seen alive at the church in September 1993. At the time, the building was thoroughly searched but no trace of her was found. An officer added that they could not rule out she had been killed elsewhere and her body dumped there as ‘the roof of a church is the last place you expect to find a corpse’.
Potenza police chief Romolo Panico said: ‘From the effects that have been found and positively identified by the family it would seem that it is the body of Elisa but DNA will give the definitive result.’ The case crossed over to the UK as the prime suspect in the case Danilo Restivo lived in Bournemouth – he has also been questioned by detectives in connection with the 2002 murder of Dorset housewife Heather Barnett.
Restivo immediately came to the Italian police's attention when Elisa disappeared as he was the last person to have seen her alive - at the church where her body was found. That day he was treated for a wounded hand in the local hospital telling staff that he had cut himself as he fell over.
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