A tangled investigation and sightings across Europe | Forensic Files

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more [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website on September 12 1993 the collapse family
were preparing for a relaxing Sunday ahead it was a sunny day in their hometown of Potenza a mountain city in
the basilicata region of southern Italy parents Antonio and Philomena were looking forward to spending the day off
from the tobacconist they ran in the center of town and had traveled to the family's rural property 27 kilometers
southwest of Potenza in the small village of Tito whilst there was only a basic and too modest abode their country
house provided a haven to escape the hustle and bustle of the sea and the family cherished the quality time they
were able to spend together there they looked forward to their Sunday lunches filled with lively conversation and
home-cooked meals devout Catholics the claps were well-liked within their local parish and were a warm and loving family
who supported each other at every turn this particular Sunday Antonio and Philomena were joined in tito by their
second born son 20 year old luciano the trio were preparing lunch in anticipation for the arrival of the
remaining two collapsed children eldest son 24 year old and judah and the baby of the family 16 year old elisa the pair
were due to arrive just after midday along with one of her Lazer's friends Eliana de sillas
back in Potenza ELISA claps dressed in blue trousers a white sweater knitted by her mother and her trademark thin rimmed
designer glasses she kept her thick dark hair out and flowing below her shoulders
the bubbly teenager was popular amongst her peers who were drawn to her warm smile sense of humor and kind-hearted
personality as the youngest of the claps children she was doted on by her family
which contributed to her caring and compassionate nature although some noted ELISA could be a little naive at times
actively involved with her church ELISA sang in the cathedral choir and studied hard towards her passion of becoming a
doctor with her dream to one day work in Africa for a not-for-profit organization
at 11:00 a.m. the doorbell rang at the collapse flat in Potenza there was a Lisa's friend
Eliana the two had arranged to attend a Sunday morning Mass together at the Church of the Holy Trinity in the city
center they planned to return to a Lazer's home afterwards before departing to the country for lunch with the
remainder of the collapse family ELISA told her brother Judah they would be back soon and the two girls headed out
towards the church when an hour passed and the teenagers still hadn't returned to the flat gildo started to worry his
sister was known for her punctuality and always phoned home if she was running late then the doorbell rang and tudjarov
found a Liana standing there alone the teen told him she and ELISA had become separated at the church Eliana assumed
ELISA had returned home without her and was surprised to learn she wasn't there concerned Judah walked towards the city
centre whilst keeping an eye out for his sister before arriving to the Church of
the Holy Trinity the surrounding area was busy with crowds of people but there was no sign of ELISA
[Music] as two p.m. approached enter judo enter laser still hadn't arrived for lunch in
Tito the rest of the claps family decided to leave the food they had prepared and to make the brief journey
back to Potenza to see what was going on when they returned they were shocked and
distressed to learn that elisa had gone missing judo had already recruited a bunch of
his friends to scour the area but their efforts had failed to yield any results June or pressed Eliana for
the exact details of Elise's last-known movements that morning Eliana eventually
admitted she hadn't been completely honest the two girls had never intended to attend Mass together it had been a
cover so elisa could meet with a friend 21 year old a dental student Danilo Restivo ELISA was reluctant about the
meeting as she knew Restivo had unreciprocated romantic feelings for her and she found him quite odd but he had
been persistent as he wanted to give her a gift for passing her recent exams a laser agreed on account of feeling sorry
for him although he came from a prominent family with his father serving as director of the local branch of the
National Library Restivo was a loner with few friends he was often teased for his effeminate
voice and mannerisms and he lacked people skills he frequently behaved strangely towards
girls bragging that he could convince women to sleep with him for the Philip Morris cigarettes he constantly had in
his possession Restivo and ELISA had arranged to meet inside the church at 11:30 a.m.
just as Mass was finishing eliyana waited outside where she ran into another of the girls friends Angelica
neither girl saw ELISA leaved the church jeweled or recalled he had overheard his
youngest sister talking to Restivo on the phone the previous evening jewel dog didn't like Restivo he found him odd and
was suspicious of his interest in ELISA the siblings had run into him during a recent holiday enter the encounter had
unnerved ELISA who suspected Restivo may have followed her there despite her obvious discomfort
she had reassured her protective older brother that Restivo meant no harm jewel dog wasn't convinced unable to
shake the feeling that there was something shady about Restivo as Restivo was the last person believed to have
been with ELISA gildo called his family house demanding answers Restivo told him their meeting had only
lasted 15 minutes during which the pair sat by the altar and chatted ELISA had seemed a little troubled as she said she
had been harassed by a man in town earlier that morning afterwards she left the church and two
Restivo stayed behind to pray which is the last time he saw her as the hours passed by and there was still no sign of
ELISA her brother Luciano paid a visit to Restivo family home to question him in person Restivo hesitated to answer
any questions and stuttered over his answers appearing sweaty and agitated Luciano observed he had a large plaster
on the back of his left hand and asked what happened Restivo explained he had tripped over in a building site and cut
his hand requiring a visit to the hospital he insisted he knew nothing about Elise's whereabouts or where she
went after leaving the church Luciano left at the Restivo residence and returned a few hours later with a
judo hint oh the claps brothers were greeted at the door by rest Evo's parents who advised the siblings that
their son had a left for the 150 kilometer westerly journey to Naples to undertake his dentistry exams the next
day overwhelmed with concern the claps attended the local police station to report a laser as missing officers on
duty recorded the details but advised the panicked family not to worry reassuring them ELISA was a teenager and
was most likely just out with friends this was frustrating for the claps who knew ELISA was an obedient and
well-behaved girl who would never stay out without letting someone in her family know first they urged the police
to question Danilo Restivo but their request was dismissed with the officers suggesting the claps returned home and
wait for ELISA to show up instead unsure of what else to do Jewell dog returned to the Church of the
Holy Trinity this time finding the door was locked he tracked someone down who had access to the key and today let him
inside to search the area once again judo scoured the empty pews and as he approached to the altar noticed the
wooden door that gave access to the upper levels of the church was locked judo asked to gain entry but was
informed that the only person who had a key to the door was the priest father Dominique OSA beer known as Don Mimi Don
Mimi had left after Mass that afternoon to attend a spa retreat for the next few
days that night judo Luciano and to their friends stayed up until the early hours
combing the streets on foot and in cars desperately searching for any sign of ELISA
meanwhile Antonio and Philomena sat by the phone desperately willing dead daughter to
contact them the phone rang off the hook with calls from concerned friends relatives townspeople and to journalists
but there was no word from ELISA upon answering the phone on several occasions the claps were simply met with a long
eerie silence the following day Monday September 13 police began taking her Lisa's disappearance more seriously but
remained convinced she would likely show up soon Elise's family and friends took
to the streets of Potenza asking passers-by if they had seen the dark-haired dark-eyed a 16 year old lost
police inquired with local hospitals as to whether anyone matching a laser's description had been admitted the claps
printed a large posters of a Lisa's smiling face along with pleas for information and distributed them across
the city as her disappearance began gaining media attention on local radio and television stations as the search
intensified the collapse began receiving all kinds of tip offs from members of the public with alleged sightings coming
in from all over Italy numerous witnesses recalled seeing someone who matched a lisa's description in a white
Fiat Uno vehicle whilst the anonymous callers claimed they had a Lisa with them unharmed
police dismissed the majority of the dubious tip offs as none aligned with the times or location ELISA was last
seen a plausible report from Elise's friend Angelica who had run into Eliana outside the church the previous day
cleaned another of Elise's admirers had been hanging around to the city centre that day twenty-year-old
Aires gaga gay guy and his family had recently moved to Potenza from their home country
of Albania meeting the girls at a church camp the club's contacted a gay guy to see if
he had any information about Elise's whereabouts but he denied being anywhere near the church on the day of her
disappearance and insisted he hadn't seen her that afternoon as Danilo Restivo returned from his dentistry
exams police brought him in for formal questioning he told them ELISA was unhappy at home and had plans to run
away to Naples a densely populated city in southern Italy with a reputation for crime and
Damacio activity Restivo claimed he had attempted to talk a laser out of this plan warning her of the dangers a young
girl faced out on the streets of the gritty and harsh city he maintained his original story that she had left the
church following their brief conversation and that he had stayed behind to pray although he made no
mention of the present he allegedly wanted to give ELISA for completing her exams instead stating the purpose of
their meeting was to ask her advice about another girl he was interested in dating named Paola afterwards he walked
home traversing through a building site which he had visited with Paola a few days earlier where he fell and cut his
hand the cut was bleeding so he wrapped his hand in his jacket when Restivo returned
home and showed the injury to his sister she insisted he go to the hospital to have it cleaned up accompanying him
there heard around 1:00 p.m. he was seen by a doctor shortly after receiving a single stitch for the one centimeter
long laceration investigators noted Restivo seemed unusually precise in his answers which aroused their suspicions
they were also dubious of his claims that ELISA had an unhappy home life as there was nothing to support this theory
with friends attesting to the closeness of her loving family police requested Restivo lead them to
the building site where he sustained his hand injury to reenact his movements he
complied and at the site described falling headfirst down a full flight of escalators that were currently under
construction this seemed curious to police as Restivo wore glasses and today had miraculously
remained intact during this lengthy fall it also didn't make sense that the only
injuries sustained after such a tumble was just the small cut on his hand they visited Restivo residence and to request
that his parents provide them with the blood-stained clothing their son had been wearing at the time of his fall his
powerful and well-connected father Mauricio Restivo insisted on seeing a search warrant first as no such Warren
had been obtained police left the property empty-handed convinced the Nilla Restivo was hiding something
police ran a search on his name and discovered he had been involved in a violent attack in the past in 1989 that
then 14 year old was playing a game of cowboys and Indians with two adolescent boys when he told them he would take
them to his secret hideout he proceeded to tie their hands up blindfold them and
to lock them up before inflicting the younger of the two with a small knife wound to his neck the cut required
stitches and the families of the two boys pressed the charges which were later dropped when the Restivo family
settled the incident outside of court with a small financial son [Music] it wasn't the only criminal behavior
Restivo had exhibited a few months earlier he had been accused of harassing three female students who lived in an
apartment complex directly across from his family's home over the course of several months the women reported being
subject to harrowing phone calls in which Restivo under the guise of anonymity attempted to scare them by
describing the clothes they were currently wearing he would play music into the phone from horror movie
soundtracks and to the classical Beethoven song Fur Elise he would also send pornographic drawings twisted a
love letters and death threats all written under false names the early stages of the investigation into a Lisa
claps disappearance continued to be marred by inaccurate false and conflicting information sightings kept
coming in from a local residents who recalled seeing a laser after her meeting with Restivo but police were
unable to determine whether witnesses were confused with the timings or were purposely providing misleading
information to store the investigation one witness claimed to have seen ELISA being forced into a red vehicle by two
men but she later retracted her statement entirely investigators circulated details of the case to other
police stations throughout the country and although wary of vers steve-o's claims they alerted officials in naples
to the possibility the missing teenager could have traveled there with so little
viable information coming through and - no proof that a crime had occurred investigators were starting to believe
ELISA had simply run away from home and didn't want to be found this possibility
was vehemently disputed by the claps as none of her clothes or belongings were missing a member of her family said she
has not gone anywhere on her own free will wherever she is she's been taken by force we shall not rest until we have
her home on September 22 ten days since ELISA was last seen her albanian friend ares gagger was brought in for
questioning about the witness sightings that placed him near the Church of the Holy Trinity on the day of the team's
disappearance gagger denied being in the area that day saying he never left his neighborhood and gave police the names
of friends who could vouch for his whereabouts when police made contact with these friends they disputed a gages
story confirming that he was in fact in the city center near the church that day
gagger also drove a white Fiat Uno the same car several witnesses had described seeing a laser in on the day of her
disappearance suspicions that gagger could be involved were heightened when Elise's diary was recovered and analyzed
revealing that several pages had been ripped out scientists were able to reconstruct segments of the torn pages
and discovered that some of the words had been written in Albanian gagger was questioned again in October and early
December with his story changing age at one point he claimed that Danilo Restivo had approached him and told him
to deny to the police that the two knew one another a witness who claimed to have seen a
laser in the white Fiat Uno was shown a photograph of gagger and accepted he shared some physical similarities to the
vehicles driver on December 22 Ares Jagger was placed under arrest for providing false statements and held in
custody pending trial meanwhile investigators received the tip-off from a concerned citizen urging them to keep
looking into Danilo Restivo claiming he had exhibited some other disturbing behavior according to the caller Restivo
had a reputation around town for cutting the hair of unsuspecting young women on
public transport whilst it was true that police had received multiple reports of
such incidents in the past there was no evidence to suggest Restivo was the perpetrator of these bizarre acts in
December an anonymous phone call was placed to the police by a female who claimed to have spotted ELISA in Italy's
capital city of Rome 350 kilometres north-west from Potenza elisa was allegedly sighted being beaten and
forced into a white Fiat Uno at the end of the call The Voice pleaded helped her
and helped me a recording of the call was sent for expert analysis and - the results were surprising the female
caller was identified to be a Lisa's friend al jana de sillas [Music] investigators had been suspicious of
Eliana since the initial stages of being investigation as there were elements of
her story that didn't quite add up and she changed her version of events often one witness had reported seeing a laser
riding passenger on Eliana's moped near the collapse home at approximately 12:30
p.m. on the day she went missing and even described the very clothing the two teenagers had been wearing
Eliana strongly denied this sighting insisting she hadn't taken her moped out that day in addition it was her
boyfriend's mother who had tipped police off to Danilo Restivo zl-- edged disturbing hair cutting habits
investigators when they are considering the possibility the claim was a ploy to deflect attention from Eliana just like
the false sighting of ELISA in Rome if the witness sighting of ELISA riding passenger on Eliana's moped at
approximately 12:30 p.m. was correct this man Eliana was with ELISA after her meeting
with Restivo at the church for the misleading phone call Eliana was charged with providing false
information and scheduled to appear in court the following year with police confirming they weren't ruling her out
of the investigation the case languished for months with the collapse family convinced ELISA was likely no longer
alive and that Danilo Restivo was responsible for her death but to their frustration the police still hadn't
ruled out the possibility she had run away from home and hadn't taken long for the collapse
to suspect there were higher powers at play protecting the reputation of their daughter's killer given Mauricio Restivo
was a prominent man in Potenza with strong ties to the social elite and church officials they were convinced he
abused his position of power to protect his son and ultimately his family's reputation in addition they felt the
Church of the Holy Trinity priest Father Don Mimi was purposely obstructing the investigation and siding with the
Restivo family he had denied the collapse access to search the upper levels of the church and had refused to
let them place a box in the church where people with information could leave anonymous notes despite all other
churches in Potenza warmly allowing this service Don Mimi had also denied knowing
Danilo Restivo which was quickly proven to be a lie when a photograph surfaced of the two standing side-by-side in
celebration at rest Evo's 18th birthday party the Lisa's family spoke of their pain in an article with southern Italian
newspaper La Gazzetta dello Mezzogiorno in which Philomena claps a voiced her disappointment with the police she
blamed to the corrupt systems politics and churches that the basilicata region for the lack of action in helping find
her daughter saying I am a simple person and I asked for simple answers but there's nothing simple about the way
this region is run the grieving mother said she just wanted closure and a final resting place for her daughter somewhere
she could go to place flowers and sit beside her quote I miss her sitting at the table I miss her hugs she was always
so happy always so loving I often talk with her we have conversations in my head as if she's in the room with me
in fact she is here I know it which makes me sad because it means she can only be here in spirit and will never
walk through the door again I am lost without her she is my first and two last thought
every day a hopeful lead came through when police received a tip-off that someone matching Elise's description who
spoke Italian had been spotted across the Adriatic Sea in Albania the lead gained credibility when the witness
claimed that the month ELISA went missing sex traffickers returned to Albania from Italy in possession of a
dark-haired teenage girl investigators and news crews traveled to the Balkan country in search of her but the whole
story turned out to be a ruse designed to gain money and publicity for the false witness by June 1994 the
investigation into a Lisa's disappearance had hit a dead end the case was reviewed and an eight-page
interim report was prepared by the head of the police force Luigi Grimaldi concluding that ELISA was
a well-behaved teenager who would never put her mother through the torment of running away from home given her family
wasn't well off the possibility that she had been kidnapped for ransom was also excluded as was the theory she had been
abducted and forced into sex slavery as it was unlikely such gangs would operate
in broad daylight on a Sunday in the vicinity of a busy church Grimaldi's report ultimately concluded that ELISA
claps had to likely been murdered by someone she knew and her body was hidden somewhere in Potenza he spotlighted
Danilo Restivo and Aires Geiger as the main suspects with Restivo suspicious hand injury and
the fact he was the last one to see a laser alive making him the most likely perpetrator he recommended Danilo
Restivo be placed under arrest but the request was denied by the magistrate leading the investigation
in early September 1994 as the one-year anniversary of a Lisa's disappearance approached the residence of Potenza
planned the procession in her honor then on September 10 two days before it was scheduled to take place Danilo Restivo
was once again questioned by investigators determined to catch out the inconsistencies in his stories they
put it to him that the fall he had described at the building site was inconsistent with the injuries he had
sustained asking him if there was any other information he wanted to come clean with Restivo maintained he was
being truthful and had nothing to hide but the investigators were unconvinced and placed him under arrest for
deliberately providing false information he was assigned to the same cell as Aires Geiger which had been fitted with
a covert listening device in the hopes the two suspects would discuss a Lisa's disappearance and divulge information
that could be of use to the investigation following the arrest the heat was temporarily taken off Restivo
when Aires gages lawyer went straight to the media with the new information that
ELISA had once again been cited in Albania this time in a remote village many viewed it as odd that the lawyer
would actively draw attention back to his clients home country and the announcement did nothing but heighten
suspicions that gagger was involved in Elise's disappearance law enforcement followed up the claims as television
crews rushed to the Albanian village to interview local residents but the supposed sightings of ELISA turned out
to be a look-alike furthermore police attempts to record Restivo and gagger providing incriminating information were
unsuccessful during their time together in jail the two men never discussed the laser or the case at all
in January 1995 Danilo Restivo appeared in the Potenza Criminal Court to face the perjury charges against him tension
was palpable between the claps interest Evo families but the accused presented as calm and confident as his lawyer
reminded the court his client was simply on trial for deliberately providing false information and not for his
involvement with ELISA claps disappearance the trial was lengthy hindered by interruptions and delays
common in Italy's legal system various witnesses took the stand including the doctor who had treated the
wound on Restivo hand the doctor stated it was unlikely Restivo sin jury had been caused by a fall at the building
site and more likely it was caused by a sharp cutting object Paola the young woman Restivo claimed to have visited
the building site within the days before his injury testified that she had never
done any such thing she told the court Restivo had once told her he had the potential to harm others when he was
provoked and that he knew all the local churches inside out at the same time his
per jury trial was taking place Restivo also faced the court for separate charges relating to the three female
students he had been harassing via phone and mail for this crime he faced the punishment of up to 18 days
in prison but was issued with a fine of four hundred and fifty thousand earlier instead the equivalent to around four
hundred and fifty dollars in today's currency [Music] in early March 1995 Danilo Restivo was
found guilty of deliberately providing false information and sentenced to 20 months in prison the outside court gildo
claps told reporters he couldn't understand how Restivo could be found to guilty of being deceitful about what
happened on the morning of Elise's disappearance without being required to then provide the truth quote clearly
this isn't enough for my family I don't believe that it's enough for the city of
Potenza for civil society to us a verdict of this sort is of no use Ares Jagger and Eleana de sillas were
both found not guilty for the perjury charges against them with the judge concluding Eliana
had not lied to deflect attention from herself but out of fear that her own safety was in jeopardy
following the court proceedings reports continued to come in from people who believed they had seen a laser claps
with some witness sightings coming from as far away as Africa by the time the two-year anniversary of her
disappearance approached every possible rumor had circulated through Potenza including that ELISA had been caught up
with the Sicilian Mafia that she had been in a secret relationship with a priest and that she had been sold into
the sex trade the collapse were inundated with people seeking money for information wild claims from
clairvoyance and the tip-offs that continuously led to painful dead ends Danilo Restivo was released from prison
after serving just ten months of his 20 months sentence and to no further legal action was taken against him in relation
to Elise's disappearance police received two more reports from young women who claimed to have had their hair
mysteriously cut whilst traveling on public transport all of whom worked with a sketch artist
to create an image of the perpetrator the resulting image bore a striking resemblance to Restivo when shown a
photograph of him two women identified Restivo as the haircutter and agreed to participate in a police lineup but
changed to their minds at the last minute after questioning the accuracy of their initial identification over time
the ELISA claps case started to fade from the headlines although her family went to great efforts to keep it in the
public consciousness they appeared on television and radio shows at every opportunity and plastered posters of a
laser smiling face around the city her father Antonio became withdrawn whilst her brothers and mother remained
vigilant looking into every single lead to ensure no stone went unturned by 1998 five years had passed since
Elise's disappearance police declared the case was still open but the investigation was no longer active media
interest had dissipated with the case only receiving rare mentions upon approaching anniversaries whilst the
leads anonymous tip-offs and hoaxes had a long since abated as the Internet emerged into growing
prominence the collapse created a website where people could find information about ELISA and the
investigation on April 23 1999 an email was sent to the website attesting to be from ELISA herself it claimed she had
left Potenza at her own free will and was safe and well living in Brazil she apologized for causing pain to her
family and assured she had meant no harm that had been unhappy and had to get away she said she had no intention of
coming home and had only decided to get in contact to put her family's minds at ease explaining it would be the first
and the last time she would be in touch the email ended this is hello and a goodbye forever desperate to believe it
was real Philomena clung to the hopes her daughter was living happily in another continent but her sons weren't
convinced knowing their youngest sister had left the house with no money and no Passport
they employee to the services of a private investigator who traced the IP address of the email revealing it wasn't
sent from Brazil at all but from an internet cafe in Potenza the family inquired with the cafe and obtained a
list of all the registered users who had logged onto their computers that day logged in at the exact time the email
had been said was Danilo Restivo the collapse immediately informed police and demanded Restivo be questioned over the
email convinced he had crafted the lie to encourage them to give up on the search but they were bluntly told a
Lazer's case had now been shelved and if there was nothing more investigators could do in an interview with the
journalist Tobias Jones for his book blood on the altar Elise's mother Philomena later said Restivo was a wild
beast that grew up in the forest if I could I would tear out his eyes I could never forgive him
never there's no saint that could forgive him I can't leave Potenza this is where ELISA grew up and - this is
where I'll die and when I die I want to close my eyes serenely and say I did everything for ELISA
1,400 miles north from Potenza across the English Channel lies Bournemouth a relatively quiet and
peaceful seaside town located on the southern coast of Great Britain with a population of approximately 190 thousand
residents it is the largest town in southwest England Dorset County given its access to the Heritage listed
Jurassic Coast a 155 kilometer long stretch of coastline the area attracts around 7 million tourists per year the
1992 foundation of the new Bournemouth University continues to attract students from all over the UK Europe and the rest
of the world accounting for a vast amount of the town's population 48 year-old Heather Barnett was born and
raised in Dorset County growing up in the small agricultural town of stir Minster Newton an area known for its
livestock into dairy farms as a young girl down-to-earth Heather was considered shy and quiet but she came
out of her shell as she grew up singing in the church choir and performing in local pantomimes friends were drawn to
her feisty and joyful personality and she was popular within the town her father worked as an ironmonger
and Heather often helped out at his shot to earn extra cash before deciding to move to Bournemouth in her adulthood
over the years the tender and caring animal lover worked as a veterinary assistant and no pair and a waitress
before undertaking a curtain making course at a local college Heather soon fell in love with a man
named David Marsh into the two were married giving birth to a son Terry in 1987 followed by a daughter Caitlin in
1991 soon after the birth of their second child the marriage hit rocky grounds and
Heather and David sought a divorce leaving Heather to raise her two children predominantly as a single
mother the trio moved into a ground floor flat in a red brick building on capstan road
a quiet working-class neighborhood situated off one of Bournemouth main streets heather supported her family by
putting her seamstress skills to use sewing a range of items for clients around Dorset County including curtains
tablecloths cushions and clothing she worked from home enabling her time to focus on raising her two children who
were her pride and joy with limited income Heather lived a frugal but happy life
often gushing to friends and the neighbors about how proud she was of her kids and their performance at school the
morning of Tuesday November 12 2002 started like any other in Heather's household forever the earlybird she
arose early tending to the family sick cat before preparing breakfast for 14 year old Terry and 11 year old Caitlin
the Barnet children usually walk to school but it was a gray drizzly day so Heather agreed to drive them returning
home from the drop off shortly after 8:30 a.m. she anticipated a normal day ahead which typically consisted of a
morning cup of tea followed by making a few phone calls to clients before sitting down to begin her
sewing Commission's hours later at 3:30 p.m. Terry and Caitlin arrived home from
school finding the front door unlocked which they noted as odd as their mother was known to be security conscious
they walked inside throwing their backpacks down and calling out hi mum hether usually met them at the door with
a hug and a kiss but strangely she was nowhere to be seen the kids knew their mother couldn't be
too far away as her car was parked outside and to the radio was playing they looked around the small flat and
noticed that her sewing machine had been knocked on its side and there were some
other signs of disturbance Kaitlyn timidly knocked on the bathroom door pulling out to ask if her mother was
there when there was no response she slowly pushed the door open finding Heather lying on the floor in a
pool of blood after seeing the terrifying scene fit himself Terrie frantically called the police
telling them my mom has been murdered this is not a joke the distressed siblings then raced out of the house and
onto the street waving their arms in a panic and desperately screaming for help a couple who lived across the street
were pulling up to their house when they noticed the two frantic children and quickly climbed out of their car to ask
what was wrong due to the sheer scale of their distress it was difficult to understand exactly
what Kaylin and Terry were saying when the couple realized what was going on they directed the siblings into their
flat to wait for the police to arrive reassuring them that they were safe the police soon arrived and cordoned off
the entire Street declaring at a crime scene they recorded the names and contact details of all the gathering on
lookers to follow up for routine questioning in due course forensic pathologists were called to the site to
determine the cause of Heather's death who soon discovered the mother of two had sustained ten forceful fatal blows
to the head with a heavy instrument thought to be a hammer before having her throat slit her trousers were opened and
her bra had been cut from the front exposing her chest her breasts had been removed with a sharp object thought to
be a 14 centimeter long knife and carefully placed alongside her head the lacerations were neat and precise with
the killer having been careful and controlled in their actions a lack of blood from these injuries indicated the
dismemberment had been inflicted postmortem the horrific mutilations implied the attack was sexually
motivated although no traces of semen were found in both her hands Heather was grasping several strands of human hair
detective Superintendent Phil James quote for Heather's two children to come home and find their mother this way is
horrific not only have they been deprived of their mother but the killer was so callous to allow them to see her
this way this is the sort of thing you'd only expect to see in the Godfather the temperature of Heather's body
indicated she had been killed shortly after returning from dropping her children at school with her time of
death estimated as 9:30 a.m. this was further supported by telephone records which showed four incoming calls had
come through to the Barnett flat between 1050 6 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. all of which went unanswered scuff marks and
overturned furniture revealed a desperate struggle in which Heather had tried to run for her life blood spatter
found on the door near an upturned stool in heathers sewing room marked the location where she had been violently
struck the bloodstains also indicated she had sustained to the head injuries whilst close to the floor as though she
had already been not to the ground before being hit from behind further blood patterns showed the perpetrator
had her then dragged her unconscious body to the bathroom where they inflicted the knife wounds luminol tests
identified a trace elements of bloody footprints made from a size 9 to 11 Nike brand men's sneaker the distinctive
prints started in the bathroom then led back into the sewing room and stopped by
the time they reached the front hallway it was suspected the killer had to likely swap their blood-soaked shoes for
a cleaner pair they had brought with them before exiting the flat investigators conducted a thorough
search of the crime scene and declared nothing had been stolen ruling out the possibility the attack was motivated by
theft in addition Heather's front door keys were sitting in the internal lock and there were no signs of forced entry
suggesting she had known her killer and willingly let them inside her home several fathers found on Heather's body
were believed to have come from gloves to kill a war supported by the fact not a single foreign fingerprint was
uncovered coupled with the apparent change of shoes this evidence led police to the conclusion the murder was a
carefully planned ritualistic attack the killer had likely arrived to the scene armed with a full change of clothes
anticipating the amount of bloodshed however they had a left behind one clue draped over a chair in heathers sewing
room was a green hand towel that didn't belong to her family it was stained with
Heather's blood and given its location and positioning investigators determined it had been placed on the chair after it
had received the blood stains the killer likely brought the towel to the flat and
who used it to wipe Heather's blood from their face or hands before changing their shoes and clothing and leaving the
scene the National Criminal database was used to search for all sex offenders and
people with a serious criminal record within a five-mile radius of Heather's home but all were able to provide solid
alibis for the day of her murder investigators Dornoch the area and discovered no one who was home at the
time of Heather's murder had witnessed anything suspicious or heard any screams which was unusual given her home was in
a busy area surrounded by several other flats given it appeared she had willingly let
the attacker inside her home investigators suspected the killer was likely someone close to the family and
honed their suspicions in on Heather's ex-husband David but could find no evidence to link him to the crime
meanwhile the results of DNA testing conducted on the strands of hair found in Heather's hands came back it was
initially assumed Heather had ripped the hair from her attackers head as she fought for her life with investigators
hopeful they may be able to identify her killer through mitochondrial DNA but forensic tests revealed something
unexpected the hair had not been ripped out at all but instead cut neatly with a
sharp instrument whilst the hair in Heather's left hand was revealed to be her own the 9 centimeter long strands of
neatly cut hair in her right hand where identified as belonging to another woman
further scientific testing of the hair using a process known as stable isotope analysis revealed the unknown female
lived in the United Kingdom but had traveled to Spain or southern France and Florida less than three months before
her hair had been cut with such a detailed analysis police were confident this hair would help her lead them to
Heather's killer detectives questioned Heather's children and discovered that about a week before the murder the spare
key to their house had gone missing as she was on a tight income and couldn't afford to risk any of their possessions
being stolen Heather had the locks replaced when asked if anyone had visited their flat recently Terrie
explained one of their neighbors had stopped by a few days prior to his mother's death to inquire about having
some curtains made for his girlfriend it was the same neighbor who had consoled Terry and his sister upon the
discovery of their mother's mutilated body an Italian man he knew as Danny [Music]
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oh hey my GU T dot I n fo splash podcast oh my god dot info slash podcast Danilo Restivo known to neighbors simply
as Danny had relocated to the United Kingdom in May of 2002 to live with an Italian woman named Fiamma whom he had
met on the Internet their home was directly across the street from Heather Barnett's
overlooking her bedroom and bathroom as Restivo didn't speak much English he immersed himself within the Bournemouth
Italian community frequenting the restaurants and bars that gave him a sense of his home country he and Fiamma
mostly kept to themselves communicating in Italian and shutting themselves off from their neighbours Restivo had
recently enrolled in a computer course at a local training center where he was also learning English to improve his
chances of gaining employment in his new country police had already questioned two Restivo in the early stages of
Heather Barnett's murder investigation as he and Fiamma were the first on the scene to help her children they had
embraced Terry and Caitlin and taken them into their flat for support whilst they waited for the police to arrive but
didn't offer any information that could help detectives with their investigation
five days after Heather's murder detectives visited her neighbors to request DNA samples as part of a process
of elimination Restivo and Fiamma obliged providing fingerprints hair samples and mouth swabs a detective then
asked to see the pair of shoes Restivo was wearing on the day of the murder although he hesitated at first he led
the detective to the bathroom where a pair of size 9 Nike sneakers were soaking in a bucket full of bleach
Restivo explained the shoes were dirty with a bad smell and he was attempting to clean them but the detective was
immediately suspicious and confiscated the shoes for further testing however they didn't reveal a match to
the bloody footprints in Heather's house [Music] Restivo was brought in for police
questioning and asked about his whereabouts on the morning of November 12 the day Heather was killed he
explained he had left the house between 810 and 8:20 a.m. to catch the bus to his computer training center where he
had attended his classes as usual before leaving for the day around 3:45 p.m. police looked into his alibi and
discovered it checked out Restivo had a bus ticket stamped at 8:40 4:00 a.m. Heather's car had been
captured on CCTV footage returning home from the school run at 8:37 a.m. meaning
he couldn't have been at her house at the time of the murder furthermore records obtained that
Restivo education facility confirmed he had signed in for his computer classes at 9:00 a.m. as stated in his police
report with his alibi in check and - no motive for Restivo to want to harm Heather investigators returned to their
focus to other potential suspects including Heather's ex-husband detective Superintendent Phil James describe to
the case as one of the most traumatic murders you can imagine saying this was a very carefully planned killing there
was nothing spur-of-the-moment about it this was an attack personal to Heather not the work of a random killer by early
2003 detectives had questioned over 100 people known to Heather but not a single
one could identify anyone who may hold a grudge against the mother of two or have
a reason to want to harm her with very few leads to go by police set out to find the weapons used in the murder they
searched parks backyards sheds rubbish bins and sewers around the bournemouth area for
the hammer and knife but to no success posters featuring Heather's photo were plastered around town appealing for
anyone with information about her killer to come forward whilst the 10,000 pound
reward was offered by Crimestoppers for anyone who had information that led to a
conviction in May 2003 police searched through Heather's computer and discovered she had sent an email to a
friend the week before her murder in which she mentioned that her spare house keys were missing she had been unable to
find to them after a visit from a neighbor who inquired about her seamstress services and she suspected he
may have picked them up by mistake she left a note in their letterbox asking to have the keys returned that neighbor was
Danilo Restivo other than the suspicious bleach stains sneakers police had a little reason to suspect Restivo had any
involvement in Heather's murder viewing him as an awkward and clumsy man incapable of such a sophisticated attack
now curious as to whether they may have missed the crucial detail they ran an online search for his name and made the
startling discovery this wasn't the first time Restivo had been a person of interest in a major police investigation
more than a decade earlier he'd been a prime suspect in the 1993 disappearance of 16 year old Italian teenager
ELISA collapse investigators revisited Restivo alibi at the time of Heather Barnett's
murder and realized that wasn't as airtight as they had initially thought they double-checked the signing book at
his computer training center where it became evident that on the morning Heather was attacked his signing time
had been altered Restivo had signed in at 9:00 a.m. the closer inspection revealed the entry had been amended from
its original time of 10:28 a.m. furthermore although receivers bus ticket had been stamped at 844 a.m.
there was nothing to confirm whether he had traveled all the way to the training
center or simply disembarked at the next stop and walked the short track back to
Heather's house for the second time in his life Danilo Restivo became a prime suspect and yet again the evidence
against him was purely circumstantial there was no motive murder weapon or forensic evidence linking him to the
Heather Barnett crime scene and therefore not enough to warrant an arrest police continued to appeal for
information and by the one-year anniversary of Heather's death in November 2003 they released additional
details about her murder to the public for the first time including the killer's Nike sneakers prints and the
gruesome dismemberment of her breasts when the public appeals generated no further leads they rehomed their focus
on Danilo Restivo International Criminal Police organization Interpol made contact with Italian authorities in
Potenza they notified them that were looking into Restivo as a person of interest in Heather Barnett's murder and
to request that any information in relation to his possible involvement in ELISA collapse disappearance they were
informed of her steve-o's reported haircutting fetish and previous criminal behavior which only served to highlight
him as a likely suspect for Heather's death in April 2004 police placed through a steve-o under surveillance
where they soon discovered the Italian had some disturbing habits on several occasions he visited through permille
Park a secluded and isolated Park just outside of Bournemouth that was frequented by female joggers during his
visits Restivo made efforts to appear inconspicuous dressing in dark clothing sunglasses and gloves with the hood of
his jacket often pulled tight around his face on May 11 2004 Restivo parked his car at
the end of a quiet lane way near through a mill park where surveillance officers
recorded in changing into a new shirt and shoes his movements were stealth and he appeared to be attempting to go
unnoticed as he crouched behind some tall grass and observed a female jogger go past the next day May 12 we're Stevo
returned to througt mill park wearing waterproof trousers he continued to act suspiciously and fears increased that he
intended to launch an attack police decided they couldn't take the risk and approached Restivo under the guise that
were inquiring about some thefts in the area he appeared sweaty and agitated as police commenced the search of his
vehicle where they discovered garbage bags scissors gloves a balaclava and a bag containing a large knife Restivo
explained that he found with the knife at the park and had collected it to ensure it wouldn't harm any children
the police surveillance had captured him conducting no such action a subsequent search of his house confirmed a blade of
the same description was missing from a knife block in his kitchen a month and a
half later On June 22 Danilo Restivo was placed under arrest in relation to Heather Barnett's murder he underwent
intense police interrogation over his whereabouts on the day of her death as well as his suspicious behavior in
through Premal Park he was also pressed about ELISA Collapse disappearance but he remained stoic and
stuck to all of his original stories after three days of questioning he was released after police failed to obtain
any incriminating evidence to charge him one detective remarked I reckon he must have had his nerves
extracted when he lost his milk teeth on a scale of nought to ten I never saw fear in his eyes
rise above zero meanwhile 1400 miles away in Potenza Jill door claps had never given up searching for his missing
youngest sister two years prior had marked a decade since Elise's disappearance with all the local
churches except for the Church of the Holy Trinity commemorating the solemn anniversary bus simultaneously ringing
their bells in the teenagers on earth when Jill dole learned that Danilo Restivo had been arrested in the UK in
relation to the murder of Heather Barnett he traveled to Bournemouth to meet with the detectives in charge of
the investigation relaying all the information he knew about their suspect upon his return to Potenza Jill Doyle
plastered posters throughout the city featuring photos of Heather and ELISA side-by-side atop the words we will
remember them the possible connection between the two cases quickly gathered media attention with Elise's mother
Philomena commenting to the press the person who took my little girl away from me 11 years ago also took Heather from
her children I wish I could see them when I heard of her death my first thoughts were for the children I can
imagine what they are going through I think I can understand how they feel having lost a loved one just like me
I feel a bond with them later in 2006 a plaque was erected on the street a laser
had reversed on her way to the Church of the Holy Trinity the day she went missing it declared along this route on
September 12 in 1993 ELISA claps disappeared at a distance of 13 years the city remembers the laser and awaits
the truth Bournemouth detectives started working closely with authorities in Italy
convinced the potential connection between Heather and Elise's cases was too strong to ignore as news reports
circulated throughout Dorset County several young women came forward to report having their hair snipped off
whilst travelling on public transport and in cinemas with the incidents beginning in 2002 when Restivo first
moved to the area furthermore several of these women identified the Italian as the perpetrator of these acts whilst the
majority of the story simply involved Restivo surreptitiously chopping blocks of the girl's hair more extreme reports
alleged that he was also masturbating underneath his coat whilst doing so women in Potenza began reporting similar
incidents they had enjoyed many years before with 24 women in total coming forward across both countries Restivo x'
hair cutting fetish was a major concern for Bournemouth detectives who suspected
his obsession had something to do with the mysterious lock of hair that had been left in Heather Barnett's hand each
of the women who reported having their hair cut by Restivo agreed to provide DNA samples to test against the mystery
hair but none of the results returned to match Bournemouth detectives consulted with
the FBI who concluded Heather Barnett's murder was not random the carefully planned describing her killer as a semi
reclusive but otherwise seemingly regular middle-aged men who exhibited stalker-like behavior in November 2006
police obtained a warrant to search Restivo flat inside a chest of drawers they discovered a lock of hair tied with
a piece of cotton hidden inside a plastic bag the hair was tested for DNA but returned and no match for Restivo
ELISA claps or Heather Barnett as the plastic bag also contained photos of his partner fiamma's family who was
determined to the hair most likely served as an innocent memento from a family member and was not associated
with anything criminal [Music] despite the unwavering efforts of police the investigation into Heather Barnett's
murder languished the case continued to be featured in sporadic news articles and on the BBC television show crime
watch which generated new leads and potential witness sightings but nothing substantial enough to warrant Danilo
Restivo or any other individual being charged with the murder in 2006 CCTV footage was aired on crime watch which
showed a blurry image of an unknown man crossing the street towards capstan Road
where Heather lived at 9:24 a.m. on the morning of her murder the TV show appealed for anyone with information
about the men in the footage to contact police prompting a shop assistant at a local
pharmacy to come forward and identify the man as one of her regular customers Danilo Restivo however as this witness
was already aware that Restivo was a person of interest in Heather's murder police were dubious as to whether this
had influenced her identification meanwhile in Italy in 2007 a thread was created on Italian community website a
polo de Lorette day discussing a laser collapse and murder over 350,000 people engaged with the
site to share theories rumors and speculations many posts defended Danilo Restivo and accused the collapse family
of running a smear campaign to destroy his family's reputation a private investigator hired by Elise's family
infiltrated the site discovering that Restivo himself was behind several of the users accounts then in 2008 advances
in technology led to retesting of the mysterious green blood-stained hotel found in Heather Barnett's flat the
blood on the towel had already been determined to belong to Heather but it had long since been speculated that the
killer had used the towel to wipe clean their own face or hands this time forensic experts were able to test for
traces of sweat and skin flakes whilst the results were unable to determine with 100% certainty whether the traces
came from Danilo Restivo experts ruled there was only a 1 in 57,000 chance that the DNA belonged to someone else in 2009
Chris DeVos bleach soaked Nike sneakers were also subject to advanced forensic testing trace elements of blood were
uncovered on the inside of the shoes indicating Restivo had blood on his socks when he placed his feet inside the
trainers this supported investigators initial theories that Heather's killer had brought a second pair of shoes to
change into following the attack however the exposure to bleach had rendered it impossible to obtain a DNA
profile from the blood Restivo explanation as to why he was bleaching his shoes was that he thought the bleach
was soaked adding he must have gotten the italian and english words mixed up the evidence against the Restivo was
mounting but police were determined to uncover concrete proof before proceeding with an arrest knowing a jury could
easily deliver a not guilty verdict if presented with the evidence they had obtained so far then on March 17 2010
something unexpected happened in Potenza maintenance workers were undertaking repairs on the Church of the
Holy Trinity which had been damaged by leaks throughout the winter season two maintenance workers entered a wooden
door by the altar and ventured upstairs to the building's attic which overlooked
the city using a torch to illuminate the dark area one worker began searching the
space for damage when he noticed something lying in the corner of the room behind a pile of rubble his shone
his light on the object and realized in horror that he was looking at a mummified human body police and forensic
investigators were called to the scene where inspection of the body and surrounding area revealed several items
of well-preserved clothing and jewelry including a pair of shoes and necklace and round rimmed eyeglasses the items
were shown to the collapse family who confirmed them to be the items ELISA had born the day she went missing the
heavily decomposed body was taken for DNA testing confirming that after 16 years
a laser collapse had finally been found an autopsy revealed that the teenager had been stabbed to nine times in the
chest and back before being suffocated the murder weapon was likely a pair of scissors with defense wounds to her
hands indicating ELISA had fought against her attacker her pants had been cut the on the front
and sods and her bra had been cut from the front bruising around her pelvis indicated she had been sexually
assaulted although no traces of semen were detected in her hands were two separate locks of neatly cut hair and
more bundles also lay alongside her body it was concluded that ELISA had likely been killed in the attic of the church
on the day of her disappearance before her body was dragged into the corner of the room and covered with rubble traces
of another person's DNA were found and sent to geneticist Professor Vincenzo Pascal II at the Catholic University of
the Sacred Heart in Rome professor Pascal II had strong ties to the Church of the Holy Trinity and his examination
of the crucial unknown DNA had a laser clacks crime scene involved a quick analysis using outdated methods he
promptly ruled the DNA did not come from prime suspect Danilo Restivo seeking a second opinion the magistrate in charge
of the murder investigation sent the DNA to the Department of scientific investigations who declared the DNA was
indeed a match to Danilo Restivo professor Pascal II was later convicted of forgery into given an 18-month
suspended sentence as news spread that ELISA collapse had been discovered in the very location she was last seen the
people of Potenza flocked to lay flowers plants and teddy bears at the steps of the Church of the Holy Trinity citizens
reeled over the reality that for close to two decades ELISA had been lying in the Attic of the very place they had
gathered to pray for her graffitis sprung up around town blaming the church's former priest the father
Don Minnie for covering up the teenager's death Don Minnie had passed away two years prior taking any secrets
to the grave in a meeting with the journalist Tobias Jones for his book blood on the
altar another of Potenza is Catholic priests Don marchello kotse said the collapse
family have been through great suffering they've been violated in their emotions
to find the cadaver of her daughter in the church has been a laceration to Filomena's her because she is a woman of
faith she went to that church went there to pray to the Eternal Father that she should find her daughter and all that
time in that church ELISA was up there you can imagine the storm in the heart of her mother on May 19 2010 12
detectives gathered outside Danilo Restivo red brick home in Bournemouth and placed the 38 year old under arrest
for heather Barnett's murder he was handcuffed and delayed outside covering his face with a towel and declaring his
innocence as he accused the police of harassment during subsequent police interrogation he was informed that his
DNA had been found on the green towel located inside Heather's home he had previously denied owning the tower but
now considered he had given it to her as a color sample for the curtains he commissioned her torso
Restivo was refused to bail and held in custody until the preliminary hearing scheduled later that year upon hearing
the news of her steve-o's UK arrests Elise's reclusive father Antonio gave his first ever interview to the Italian
media where he said with bitterness I don't believe in justice anymore Al's is a country of buffoons of clowns and
jokes the truth doesn't count anymore of what interest is it to me she ELISA isn't here today I won't go to her
funeral I will stay here to mourn her alone one week after Restivo was taken into custody in the UK Italian
authorities issued a warrant for his arrest for the murder of Alicia claps the prosecution requested Restivo be
granted temporary extradition to face questioning in Italy but the request was denied pending completion of the UK
legal process the preliminary hearing for Heather Barnett's case commenced on November 8 2010 whereas Devo entered his
plea of not guilty members of Elise's family were in attendance who held on to strong hopes
the accused killer would receive a prison sentence in the UK instead of Italy where they feared he might be able
to find a way around the system on May 4 2011 Restivo faced the trial in the Winchester Crown Court overseen by
presiding judge justice Ian Burnett an interpreter was present for the entire duration translating from English to
Italian as television crews gathered from across the UK Europe and the United States
Elise's mother Philomena was granted permission to sit in a courtroom instead of the public gallery so Restivo would
be able to see her face the prosecution had been permitted to present evidence relating to Elise's
murder telling the jury that whilst they were not required to deliver a verdict in
relation to that case the evidence served to prove that the killings of both victims were so similar that there
was no doubt they were both done by the same person the evidence linking Restivo
to heather Barnett's murder was presented over the course of seven weeks including the bleach soaked to Nike
sneakers the green towel the police surveillance videos at through permille park and the CCTV footage of the man
crossing the street towards Heather's house which one witness had identified as Restivo to highlight his haircutting
fetish and the link to the hair placed in Heather's hands various women from both Bournemouth and Potenza testified
that Restivo had given them unwanted hair cuts during bus rides and in cinemas the prosecution worked to discredit
Restivo alibi pointing out the training centers Sounion book had been doctored and arguing the accused could have
easily purchased the bus ticket and disembarked straight away to fabricate that he was commuting at the time they
also presented in new evidence that had come to light since receivers arrest forensic computer experts had searched
the hard drive of the computer he had used at the training center on November 12 2002 the day of Heather's murder
which revealed that no human activity was found on the computer between 1908 and 10:10 a.m. that day furthermore in
the weeks and months following the crime the computer had been used to search for
information and updates regarding the case including any reported witness sightings and the 10,000 pound reward
Italian witnesses and two law enforcement agents were called to discuss the circumstances of a laser
collapse disappearance and murder with one forensic expert concluding there were similarities in the way both
victims bras had been cut from the front Danilo Restivo took the stand denying being the figure captured on the
CCTV footage on Heather Street on the morning of her murder when presented with the surveillance team's findings
that he appeared to be stalking women in through peal Park Restivo explained he had only gone there to enjoy the
wildlife he reasoned the balaclava found in his car was to help with his sinus problems and that he had changed clothes
in the park who do to thorough issues to account for any discrepancies in his stories he claimed he suffered from
sleep apnea which had a negative impact on his memory under cross-examination he
denied masturbating in public but admitted to the haircutting incidents saying the habit started as a dare when
he was 15 years old from there he realized he liked the feel and smell of hair and continued doing it meaning no
harm and not realizing it was an offense to do so in a bid to gain sympathy from
the jury he presented himself as a misunderstood and lonely man who just wanted to be loved his manipulative
tactic was obvious with one Italian reporter remarking that's always been his strategy he appears to be like the
village idiot and people underestimate him he's very clever very wily [Music] On June 30 2011 the jury of seven men
and five women deliberated for five hours before delivering their verdict after nine years of intense
investigation Danilo Restivo was found guilty for the murder of Heather Barnett in sentencing Heather's daughter Caitlin
presented her victim impact statement which read I used to have nightmares and flashbacks reminding me of the events of
November 12 I also don't like going into bathrooms I used to think that someone might be waiting for me
now I just thought a fear of what's behind the bathroom door it was at that moment that I felt as if my heart had
been ripped out my mom is no longer able to help me celebrate my successes and to
pull me through the disappointments I will never get the chance again to tell her how much I loved her and how much I
knew I miss her I feel a great anger at the accused without him she'd still be here
how could he intrude into our safe and happy family home and to then take everything from us in such a horrific in
the callous way during his sentencing remarks Justice Burnett declared the seriousness of this offense is
exceptionally high he knew an 11-year old girl and a 14-year old boy would find their mother butchered on the
bathroom floor this feature of the case will haunt those who sat through it why you picked Adam Barnard as your victim I
do not know but it's clear that you did so to satisfy a sadistic sexual appetite
the evidence in this case shows you are a cold depraved calculated killer Danilo Restivo was sentenced to life in
prison with no minimum term outside court Heather's brother Ben expressed his relief at the verdict saying our
biggest fear was always that this might happen to somebody else Chris TiVo has already had eight years
of freedom that my sister never heard I've thought about the death penalty but I think it's too good for him it seems
like the easy way out I think he's going to have a miserable rest of his life in
prison initially on July 1 2011 almost 18 years after her murder a white coffin containing a laser claps
body was displayed at her former high school along with an image of her smiling face as the people of Potenza
gathered to pay their final respects the following day and outdoor funeral was held in one of the town squares as the
collapse family refused to put a laser back inside a church over 7,000 mourners attended the memorial including
politicians mayors and officials from nearby towns with many local businesses shutting down for the duration of the
service to one out the teenagers memory father Don Marshall or kotse who had provided unwavering support to the
collapse family over the years delivered the service he gave an impassioned speech about the unjust nature of
Elise's death quote Lord how was it possible that the life of a just blossoming flower was cut off and then
left to rot in the dark corner like someone threw away a weed and how was it possible that all that happened in a
church your church Lord we would like to talk to you with so much suffering in our hearts about those who prefer to
whisper rather than shout following the service Elisa's the lily covered coffin was finally laid to rest
at the Potenza cemetery her gravestone declaring my long journey in the dark has finished on a warm spring day I am
finally home on November 8 2011 ELISA collapse murder trial was held in Salerno a port city southeast of Naples
Italian authorities had issued a warrant for a steve-o's extradition from the United Kingdom but as the convicted
killer had appealed his conviction for Heather Barnett's murder the extradition warrant was rejected into the Italian
trial proceeded in absentia Restivo accepted the prosecution's case and chose not to enter a plea requesting a
shortened right trial which enabled speedy legal proceedings without any dispute against the evidence although
the physical and circumstantial evidence against him was overwhelming the case against him was strengthened when
another woman testified the prior to Elise's death Restivo had also invited her to the Church of the Holy Trinity
under the guise of wanting to give her a present just like he had done with ELISA
when he invited the woman up to the attic she felt uneasy and a left to the prosecutors this helped paint a picture
of the fade ELISA had likely endured back in 1993 on November 11 2011 Danilo Restivo was sentenced to 30 years in
prison for ELISA clubs murder upon hearing the verdict her family burst into tears
the Diocese of Potenza applied the suit donello Restivo cleaning the murder and investigation had damaged the image of
the church however a judge rejected the application on the grounds that the Church of the Holy Trinity had failed to
act responsibly since the Lisa's body had been discovered the church had come under
heavy scrutiny after it was revealed that in January 2010 two months before Aliza's remains were officially
discovered two cleaners had come across the body in the Attic they notified the new priest in charge of a church who had
in turn alerted the bishop however the grim discovery had not been recorded to the police when this
revelation surfaced the church officials claimed ignorance saying they had misunderstood the information whilst
there was believed the cleaners didn't come forward to authorities out of fear in another blow to the church a saw had
been used to create a hole in the beams above the area where Lisa's body lay indicating someone within the church had
been aware of the murder and fashioned a means for the smell of her decomposing body to escape a search of the Attic had
also revealed a mattress stained with the semen of two unknown men whilst this was deemed unrelated to Elise's murder
had indicated the church have been used for intimate acts with rumors that former priests father Don Mimi engaged
in sexual activity with men not there following the exposure of the church's darkside the collapse family released
the statement to the Italian media which read once again silence enter the tutelage of interests
that have nothing to do with Christian values prevail over the piety that one should have for a lacerated course
we believed that this havoc definitely puts an entire community on its knees in March 2012 worst Evo's application to
appeal his conviction for Heather Barnet's murder was rejected but he was granted permission to appeal his life
sentence his lawyers argued that it was unfair to his client that the prosecution had been allowed to use
evidence from Elise's murder at Heather's trial and to that in turn he should at least be given the opportunity
to have his sentence changed to include a minimum turn on November 21 2012 the Court of Appeal overturned Restivo life
sentence sentencing him to a minimum of 40 years imprisonment instead the outside court Heather's brother Ben
expressed his disappointment at the decision saying I feel the original sentence was adjust than to write one
whilst 40 years is long it does not preclude Restivo killing again on release perhaps a whole life sentence
would have given Restivo the opportunity to reflect upon what he has done but somehow I doubt that this would have
ever been the case with Danilo Restivo now convicted for the murders of Alicia claps and Heather Barnett investigators
speculated whether he could be linked to other unsolved crimes there were several
other murders throughout Europe over the years in which female victims had their
breasts mutilated and it was theorized Restivo may have been responsible but no clear links were established there was
also the disappearance of 27 year old Korean woman Erik Aaron's a man who had vanished from her home in the
northwestern Italian mountain region of Alves da on April 20 2003 Erika was never found and following Restivo arrest
in Bournemouth police conducted a search of his computer and found that he had saved the enemy
each of the missing woman most compelling was his potential link to the death of 27 year old Yong hak Shin
better known as Oki a South Korean student who was studying English in Bournemouth at 3 a.m. on July 12 2002
just four months prior to Heather Barnett's murder Oki was walking home and a residential street after a night
out with friends she was just three blocks from Danilo Restivo home when she was stabbed three times in the back when
paramedics arrived Oki was still alive and was able to describe her attacker as a man wearing a mask she was taken to
pool General Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries shortly after there was no forensic evidence found at
the scene but residents reported hearing Oki screams followed by the sound of a car making a hasty u-turn and fleeing
the area six weeks after Okies murder an informant named Beverly Brown told police that 27 year-old heroin addict
Omar penguin was responsible for the crime beverly claimed she was driving banquet and two other men when he asked
her to pull over he proceeded to jump out of the vehicle and attack Oki after she refused his offer to join them
banquet was arrested and tried in court twice but to miss trials were declared after the jury was unable to reach a
verdict the problem was that Beverly Brown was seen as an unreliable witness she had made false accusations in the
past her stories were full of inconsistencies and some jurors noted she appeared intoxicated when taking the
stand in court in addition CCTV footage obtained from the area of Okies murder failed to place
Beverly's car at the scene but following a third trial in January 2005 omar penguin was eventually convicted of
Okies murder despite having two subsequent Appeals rejected many continue to believe
banquet is innocent of Okies murder with Danilo Restivo being the real culprit like his other victims okie was small
dark-haired and attacked from behind on the twelfth day of the month which some have theorized may hold some
significance to Restivo it was also the twelfth day of the month that surveillance police and blew their cover
in through premier park as they were concerned he was about to launch another attack
although the murder weapon used to kill Loki was never recovered forensic evidence has suggested the blade used
was consistent with the knife police confiscated from Restivo following his suspicious behavior in through permille
park police also confiscated gloves and a balaclava from Restivo that day in addition unknown strands of hair were
found on the pavement near Okies body but these may have come from a nearby hair salon although elements of Okies
murder did not coincide with Restivo known MO her attack was conducted at the opening of a narrow secluded passageway
with theories circulating that Restivo may have intended to drag her there for a prolonged attack that was more fitting
with his MO and he was scared off when Oki started to scream home our banquet is currently serving the 17th year of
his prison sentence for Okies murder and continues to protest his innocence hether Barnett's family have made it
clear they do not intend to let the evil actions of Danilo Restivo tarnish their
cherished memories of their loving sister and mother with her two children determined to live a life that would
make her proud during Restivo sentencing a statement prepared by Heather's daughter
Kaitlyn was read aloud declaring I want to be known for who I am not the daughter of a murder victim
what happened forced me to grow more quickly I will never get the chance to say I love her or how I miss her my home
has been taken away and often never been back I have chosen not to be a victim I
want my mum to be proud following Restivo conviction Heather's sister Denise delivered an emotional statement to the
press which read we had all looked forward to life getting a bit easier for Heather as the children entered their
teens and left her more time for visits and activities away from home the major sadness for her family is that through
her early death she missed the joy of watching Kaitlyn perform on stage do well in her exams and develop her career
as Terry was a little older she had been able to take pride in his mountain bike
racing and interest in the technical side of bikes but missed out on his career and interest in business she
would have been thrilled at the recent arrival of her nephew and of her nieces son and would have been busy knitting
for them Heather loved her children very much she was kind and honest with strong
ethical principles which he passed on to Terry and Caitlin she always worked hard at whatever she
did and built up a business on word-of-mouth and reputation Heather was feisty had a deep laugh and a wicked
sense of humor the years since November 2002 has been difficult but it has also been a time that has brought out the
best in countless people strangers and friends alike we see ourselves as survivors not victims the Church of the
Holy Trinity in Potenza is now permanently closed prior to the discovery of a Lisa's body interest evos
conviction for her murder journalist tobias Jones asked the Lazer's brother gildo how he managed to
keep going g-dog replied i made a promise to my sister many many years ago I promised
that would bring her killer to court when you've lived with this for so long it becomes a part of you I have a lot of
fear about what will happen one day if it's all over having hunted and battled all those years it will leave an
emptiness when it's all over until you have certainty until you find a body there's no morning you can't work
through your bereavement you can never metabolize your pain it's a suspension of life following Restivo
guilty verdict two years later Judith told the journalist I don't think after everything we've been through that we'll
ever be at peace but she can be she can finally rest in peace [Music] you

Case 114: Elisa Claps & Heather Barnett

On September 12 1993, the Claps family were preparing for a relaxing Sunday ahead. It was a sunny day in their hometown of Potenza, a mountain city in the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Writing – Elsha McGill Research – Mike Migas and Paulina Szymanska Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Elisa Claps went missing in 1993; her body was found in 2010, linked to Danilo Restivo, who also murdered Heather Barnett in 2002.

Key points

The Disappearance of Elisa Claps. On September 12, 1993, Elisa Claps went missing after leaving for church with a friend.
Suspicion Around Danilo Restivo. Restivo was the last person seen with Elisa, raising concerns about his involvement.
Elisa's Disturbing Disappearance. Elisa Claps goes missing, leading to a complex investigation involving multiple suspects.
Restivo's Arrest. Danilo Restivo is arrested for providing false information during the investigation.
The Email from Elisa. An email claiming to be from Elisa suggests she left voluntarily, but the family is skeptical.
Heather's Gruesome Discovery. Pathologists found Heather had sustained ten fatal blows to the head and was mutilated.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Elisa was doted on by her family which contributed to her caring and compassionate nature.

Description of Elisa's family dynamics

5:35WatchJun 15, 2019

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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