In November 2010, 13-year-old Yara Gambirasio left her home around 5 p.m. to go to gymnastics practice, just a few hundred meters away from her house in Brembate di Sopra, Italy.
By 7 p.m., Yara hadn’t returned home. When her parents couldn’t reach her, they called the police. Within minutes, both state police and military officers were dispatched to begin the search for Yara.
Yara’s gym instructor confirmed she had seen the teenager earlier that day, and that Yara had done some light training before leaving. Police established that her last known contact was a text message sent at 6:44 p.m. to a friend, arranging to meet at 8 a.m. the following Sunday. That was the last time anyone heard from her.
The gym was part of a sprawling sports complex with numerous entrances and exits. Some witnesses reported seeing two men – possibly speaking with Yara – standing near a red car, but beyond that, there was little evidence to pursue.
Bloodhounds picked up Yara’s scent leading away from her home toward a small hamlet called Mapello, where her phone had last pinged. This set off an extensive investigation in which hundreds of phones were wiretapped to trace anyone who had been near Mapello or close to Yara’s home.
