Formia – There had been no sign of them for two weeks, but now the two missing sisters have been found safe and sound. Alisya, 16, and her 12-year-old sister Sarah were found Sunday evening in Formia on the Lazio coast—about 15 days after they disappeared from a residential group home in Civitella Alfedena, Abruzzo. According to investigators, the girls are doing well.
The two were tracked down at a relative’s apartment. What initially seemed like a happy ending to a long search, however, quickly took an unexpected turn: In the early morning hours, around five o’clock, the handcuffs clicked three times.
Missing Sisters: Three Arrested on Charges of Unlawful Detention
The children’s mother, her partner, and the grandfather were arrested. They are under investigation on suspicion of joint unlawful detention—known in Italian as „sequestro di persona.“ The investigation is being coordinated by the public prosecutor’s office in Sulmona, Abruzzo. While the mother was taken to a prison in Teramo, her partner and the grandfather were taken into custody in Sulmona.
The case had kept the Italian public on the edge of their seats for days, ever since the sisters disappeared from their supervised housing in early June. The girls’ father expressed relief after they were found and, in his initial reaction, spoke of a fresh start: a new life was beginning, and they were starting from scratch. Further investigations must clarify how the two-week disappearance came about and what role those now in custody played in it.
