
Italian authorities discovered two victims yesterday evening, a mother and son, in different areas of Salento.
A 35-year-old woman, Najoua Minniti, was found at sea near Torre dell'Orso by a diver who immediately notified the coast guard.
Meanwhile, in her apartment in Calimera, the carabinieri found her son, Elia Perrone, 8 years old, dead, with signs of violence caused by a sharp instrument.
The child's father had notified the authorities after he was unable to contact either his ex-wife or his son, and the little boy had not shown up at school that morning.
The Lecce prosecutor's office is investigating the possibility that Minniti may have killed the child and then thrown herself into the sea, but further results and verifications completed by the autopsy are awaited. According to initial evidence, at around 12:30 she had an argument on the phone and then left by car. Two hours later, her body was found in the sea.
Minniti, who worked in tourist resorts, is said to have been going through personal and economic difficulties recently. On social media, just a few weeks ago, she posted a family photo with the caption: "We are fine, every now and then we manage to get together."