Modena, June 4, 2026 – The mystery surrounding the tragic end of Daniela Ruggi is enriched with completely new developments that risk completely overturning the direction of the investigations. If until today murder had been the main lead pursued by investigators to explain the disappearance of the 31-year-old – who vanished into thin air in September 2024 from Vitriola di Montefiorino – the latest field findings open up completely different scenarios, attributable to a tragic fatality.
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The key discovery in the medieval tower
The possible turning point in the investigations comes directly from the site where the woman’s skeletal remains were found, located inside the disused medieval tower a very short distance from the house where Daniela lived. During the meticulous searches initiated inside the structure, the carabinieri, supported by experts from Labanof (the Laboratory of Anthropology and Forensic Odontology), found the victim’s mobile phone.
Why the mobile phone moves away from the murder hypothesis
This is an important piece of evidence that, according to investigators, would move away from the hypothesis of murder. Logic dictates, in fact, that a potential killer would hardly have left the victim’s mobile phone at the crime scene. On the one hand, to avoid leaving the significant digital and biological traces contained within it, and on the other, because the signal or the very presence of the device could have facilitated and accelerated the discovery of the body in the early stages of the search.
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New scenarios: from illness to structural collapse
The range of hypotheses widens, now shifting towards the line of a tragic accident. The discovery of the mobile phone – a particularly resistant model that was found practically intact despite the long time elapsed – suggests that the 31-year-old may also have been the victim of a disastrous fall from a height, perhaps due to a sudden collapse of the dilapidated structures of the tower, or that she was struck by a sudden illness that left her no time to call for help.
Scientific analyses in Milan
While the remains of Daniela Ruggi and some clothing found on site have already been transferred to a specialized laboratory in Milan for specific examinations, the mobile phone will also undergo all necessary checks. The objective is to verify if the device is still accessible to extract messages, history, or location data useful for accurately reconstructing the last moments of the young woman’s life. Meanwhile, surveys and field investigations by the Mobile Squad and Digos continue relentlessly.
