A decade of a family’s strange disappearance and a chilling confession on TV with record audiences

On a hot August afternoon in 1989, the city of Burma saw the disappearance of one of its most respected families. Giuseppe Carretta (53), an eminent accountant, with his wife Marta Ceci (fifty) and his two children, Ferdinand (26) and Nicola (23), disappeared without a trace while out on holiday. What initially seemed like an ordinary trip turned into a mystery that caught the attention of Italy.

Television and media played an important role in this conundrum. At the end of 1989, the research project “C la ver? (Who saw?) got a An anonymous call That led investigators to the family’s mobile home. The program, which debuted the same year, became an important part of the spread of the Garetta case and brought attention to the mystery.

The discovery of a mobile home in a parking lot in Milan only fueled a series of theories and speculations about the family’s whereabouts. The vehicle was empty, with no signs of a struggle or any other evidence to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance. Did the Garretas run away voluntarily? Or were they victims of something sinister?

For almost a decade, nothing was known about the family. The media and police speculated that Giuseppe may have fled abroad, possibly motivated by financial irregularities at his company. This hypothesis is gaining weight among researchers and journalists, but without concrete evidence, the truth remains elusive.

Carretta’s disappearance became a symbol of unsolved mysteries, echoing in Italian homes for years. What could have led to an entire family disappearing like this? The lack of clear answers only served to deepen the mystery and morbidity surrounding the case.

The most shocking twist in the Garetta case comes a decade after her disappearance, at a time when all seemed lost. Ferdinand Carretta, the eldest son of the family, emerged from oblivion. The case revived.

In October 1998, Ferdinando was arrested in London For a minor traffic violation. This routine arrest led to a chilling discovery: Ferdinando was missing in Italy and had been reported to Interpol. London police contacted the Italian authorities, who quickly intervened. But it was his appearance on the show “Si La Vere?” that marked the definitive turning point.

Experienced journalist Giuseppe “Pino” Rinaldi, who was “C l’Has Barta?” Special Envoy to London To interview Ferdinando Carretta, who was instrumental in uncovering the facts. Rinaldi has been obsessed with the case since its inception and travels the world in search of clues. Before the show’s cameras, in an interview that captured millions of viewers, Ferdinando revealed the truth behind his family’s disappearance. With a silence that many have interpreted as the result of deep emotional disconnection, He confessed to killing his parents and brother. On August 4, 1989, prompted by petty family conflicts that escalated over time, Ferdinando used Semi-automatic rifle to confirm Three murders.

In the interview, Ferdinando’s demeanor was initially reserved and almost evasive. There was palpable tension. Rinaldi, for his part, approached the interview with conviction and sensitivity. The climate changed when Rinaldi, trying to get to the bottom of the matter, asked a question that struck Ferdinando: “What if your parents can’t listen?” This simple but meaningful question evoked an emotional response. He looked down, and after a pause that seemed eternal, the interviewer looked up and began to describe in detail the events of the extraordinary day. He described the act, the moments leading up to it, and the gruesome details of how he hid the bodies. Rinaldi later recalls how the smell of death was mentioned by Ferdinando, which confirmed the confession’s veracity because of its roughness and precision.

How can a son and brother hang his own family? The question resonated in Italian homes, as Ferdinando described the careful disposal of bodies. According to his story, after committing the murders, he hid the bodies in the bathroom of his home, surgically cleaned the crime scene meticulously, and the next day, as he described it, he hid the bodies in the Viarolo landfill near Parma. However, the dead bodies and murder weapons were never found.

“Who saw it?” The broadcast of Ferdinando’s confession on the programme. On RAI, a television format dedicated to solving cases of mysterious disappearances achieved an unprecedented rating, almost 3 and a half million viewers. However, the manner in which the confession was received and subsequently disseminated created a heated debate about the media’s ethical responsibility.

The trial of Ferdinando Carretta in 1999 at the Burma Criminal Court marked a new chapter. He was found guilty of three murders, but the court found him incompetent and involuntary, leading to his incarceration at the Judicial Psychiatric Hospital of Castiglione del Stivier. It created another debate in society about the appropriate punishment and treatment of criminals with serious mental disorders.

During his time Psychiatric Hospital, Ferdinando Carreta received intensive treatment and, eventually, his condition improved, and in February 2004, he was transferred to the “Podere Rosa” psychiatric home in Sanitalia under a semi-independent regime. Two years later, in 2006, Ferdinando left the Judicial Psychiatric Hospital. Went to ForliThere he started a new career marked by working in a cooperative.

The local community received Ferdinando with suspicion and caution. Despite his new life, the shadow of his crimes never stopped haunting him, and he himself expressed regret for his actions on several occasions, especially to his family.

The house he bought in Forlì is thanks to its preparation Family house for sale in Parma, where he committed the murders. This decision to buy property and settle in a new city was a significant step in his attempt to rebuild his life and reintegrate into society. However, the move generated debate and speculation about the source of funds and the ethics that allowed him to benefit from assets indirectly linked to his crime.

In 2015, Ferdinando was found dead in his home at the age of 61, which renewed interest in his case and its moral and legal implications. His death definitively ended the court case, but left many open questions.