A serious incident has shaken Cutro, in the province of Crotone, in Calabria. A 60-year-old woman and her 28-year-old son have been arrested on suspicion of murdering the head of the family, 69-year-old Salvatore Giglio.
The wife had reported her husband missing in September 2024, but only seven days after he was last seen. According to investigations by Italian authorities, the murder is suspected to have occurred on September 21, 2024, the exact day the wife had declared as the date of his disappearance.
The mother and son are also accused of hiding the body. According to investigators, the body was allegedly thrown into the Tacina River, but has not been found yet.
The investigation is being led by the Crotone Prosecutor’s Office. At the request of the prosecutor’s office, the preliminary investigation judge has ordered the two suspects to be remanded in custody.
According to the reconstruction of the investigators and the prosecution, Salvatore Giglio is suspected of being killed for economic reasons. The court decision states that the aim would have been to eliminate a person considered “annoying”, with whom the two arrested had a deep conflict and who was selling his real estate assets.
Investigators allege that the mother and son then attempted to divert the investigation. Among the alleged actions were reported delays in reporting the disappearance, agreements on the versions they would give to authorities, purchasing several liters of bleach to clean the scene of the alleged crime, and giving contradictory statements.
The RIS Carabinieri and the diving unit from Messina have carried out checks and searches to find the body, but so far without result.
During questioning, the 60-year-old woman gave a different version of her family relationships. She described the situation in the family as unbearable and her husband as an extremely authoritarian person.
According to her statements, which must be verified as part of the investigation, she had experienced serious episodes of domestic violence over the years that she had not reported. Among the episodes she mentioned are allegations that her husband had tied her to a chair and given her electric shocks using car battery cables, even during a pregnancy.
However, judicial authorities have assessed that the evidence collected so far justifies the measure of detention.
According to the indictment, the woman had searched Google several times for information on “the most effective interrogation techniques” and the method known as “good cop, bad cop.”
Meanwhile, according to investigators, the son had advised his mother during questioning: “When you don’t know what to answer, you don’t answer… say ‘I don’t remember’… that’s it.”
The investigation continues, while Salvatore Giglio’s body has not yet been found. All charges against the mother and son remain part of the investigation and will have to be proven during the trial.