Former Romanian sports champion's skeleton discovered in Italian farmhouse sparks suspicion
4:14 PM EST, January 24, 2024
Andrea Rabciuc, post-ending her sports career in Romania, had resettled in Italy. Her disappearance occurred overnight between March 11 and March 12, 2022, and the circumstances surrounding it have raised numerous suspicions.
On the day of her disappearance, Rabciuc was dining in a camping trailer with a group of friends and her boyfriend, Simone Grestim. After a dispute ensued between the couple, Rabciuc, visibly upset, left the trailer, leaving her mobile phone behind.
The Italian authorities swiftly launched an investigation into Rabciuc's disappearance, with her boyfriend being the primary suspect. According to a report by TV Rai, the man was charged with kidnapping and drug possession. Nonetheless, Gresti maintained his innocence, insisting he had no hand in his girlfriend's disappearance and that he made efforts to locate her in the following days.
The skeleton of a woman was found on Saturday, January 20, in the derelict farmhouse in Castelplanio, a short distance from where Rabciuc was last seen. Most Italian media reports infer that these remains are likely those of the missing Rabciuc, though confirmation will only come with the final results of the post-mortem examination, which was carried out shortly after the discovery of the body.
Sky TG24, a news channel, reported initial findings from the investigators that state the skeletal remains do not show any signs of violent injuries or fractures. Preliminary post-mortem results further suggest that the woman passed away approximately 22 months ago, correlating strongly with the time of Rabciuc's disappearance.
The current assessment indicates that the woman's death was not due to any disease. One hypothesis is that death may have resulted from an overdose, linking back to Gresti's charges of drug possession. Sky TG24 additionally reported that the woman may have committed suicide, citing a discovered rope tied to a beam and written notes found near the body on the farmhouse premises.
