The body of 22-year-old student Ilaria Sula, missing since late March, was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase and dumped in a ravine near Rome, Italian authorities confirmed this week.
Her ex-boyfriend, 23-year-old Mark Samson of Filipino origin, has confessed to fatally stabbing her and is now facing charges of murder and concealment of a body.
Ilaria, an Albanian-born student at Rome’s La Sapienza University, was last seen on the evening of March 25 when she was leaving her apartment in the San Lorenzo district, carrying only her phone. Concern grew when her phone, after briefly remaining active, went silent. Her family and friends raised the alarm on social media with multiple appeals for information on her whereabouts.
Days later, passers-by discovered her body in a suitcase abandoned along a remote country road, some 50 kilometers outside the capital. Investigators quickly zeroed in on Samson, Ilaria’s former partner, who was taken into custody and reportedly confessed to the crime.
Police believe Ilaria was lured to Samson’s home in Rome’s African Quarter, where she was killed in his bedroom. Forensic investigators found traces of blood in the room, and early findings suggest she suffered three stab wounds to the neck. The murder weapon has not yet been recovered, though Samson claims to have discarded it in a dumpster.
As reported by Corriere Della Sera, authorities revealed that Samson kept Ilaria’s body in his home for over 20 hours before transporting it in his family’s black SUV and disposing of it. Traffic camera footage captured the vehicle near the disposal site on March 26.
Police are also investigating the role of Samson’s parents, who were reportedly present at home during the murder and may have assisted in cleaning the crime scene or concealing the body. It is suggested that it would be highly implausible for them not to have been aware of the crime taking place in the three-bedroom home.
Samson allegedly used Ilaria’s phone for days after her death, sending messages to her family and friends in an attempt to mislead them. “Hi dad, don’t worry. I’m fine. I went away with a boy and a girl. I’ll be back in Terni in a month,” read one text to her father. Her family, however, suspected the messages were not written by Ilaria herself.
Italian media reported that at least eight fake messages were sent from Ilaria’s phone, allegedly by Samson, in an attempt to delay suspicion and buy time to cover up the crime.
He also allegedly used her social media to continue the charade, posting messages like “I’m fine, thank you all,” to allay concerns before finally deactivating her accounts.
La Sapienza University rector Antonella Polimeni expressed heartbreak over the tragedy, writing on social media, “Sadly, Ilaria was found lifeless. A heinous and brutal feminicide, which leaves us speechless and heartbroken. In this moment of sorrow, we close our arms around our student’s family, her loved ones, and the entire student community of Sapienza University, which has joined in a desperate search in recent days.”
The police investigation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, is ongoing.