Modern Mysteries

Mystery surrounds 'man of Etna' found dead in remote cave

By T.K. Randall
November 14, 2021

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) The unidentified individual, who was discovered by a police officer and his alpine rescue dog during a training exercise in a cave on the remote slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, has proven something of a mystery to investigators with forensic experts still working to determine his identity.

According to reports, he was around 50 years of age when he died and was found wearing long dark trousers, a woollen jumper, a striped shirt and a black tie. He had also been in possession of a woolly hat, a dark green raincoat and a quantity of old Italian lira - a currency that is no longer used.

He has also been described as having "congenital malformations to his nose and mouth."

"The area is very isolated, we go there periodically to do our training," said Lt Col Massimiliano Pacetto. "It was thanks to the sniffer dog that the remains were found."According to police investigators, the cave in which he was found is extremely difficult to reach, suggesting that he may have ended up trapped inside, unable to safely escape.

So far no evidence has been found to suggest that he was murdered.

One of the most important lines of enquiry in the case has been to go over reports of missing persons from around the time that the man had died, to see if there is any record of him.

One possibility is that he could be Mauro De Mauro - a 49-year-old journalist who disappeared without a trace in 1970. Investigations at the time suggested that he could have been kidnapped and killed by the mafia due to his knowledge of an assassination that had occurred at the time.

What he would have been doing in a remote cave however remains unclear.

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Man of Etna, Italy