“How are you?” “Still alive.” It is 7:16 p.m. on August 30. This would be the last message of the young Albanian Ferdinand Nokaj, 25 years old, born in Fano, Italy, living with his family in Colli al Metauro and for five years in Rovereto to study psychology. That evening Ferdinand disappears, Italian media write.
The next day, his brother reported him missing to the Fano carabinieri. Five days later, on 5 September, his body was found on the banks of the Adige River, in Grumo, in the municipality of San Michele all’Adige, about 42 kilometres from Rovereto. But no one had identified him and the family continued to search for him for another twenty days. The father made his way back to Trentino, unaware that his son was already in the morgue of the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento. He only recognized him on 25 September, last Friday.
Ferdinand had told his family that he had been attacked.
Three hours before that last message “still alive”, Ferdinand had told his family that he had been attacked in Rovereto by some Albanian boys. He had marks on his face and, above all, he was afraid. His father had told him to go to the carabinieri immediately. “That’s what I’m thinking of doing, Dad”, Ferdinand had replied.
It does not appear that he ever went there. At 5:21 PM he spoke to his brother again from the Rovereto train station. His brother thought he wanted to go home. At 7:16 PM he asked him how he was. “Still alive.”
After that, Ferdinand did not respond again. The young man’s death is being investigated by the Trento Prosecutor’s Office, which has opened a file for incitement to suicide.