Overview
- Authorities identified the victims as Najoua Minniti, 35, recovered off Torre dell’Orso, and her son Elia Perrone, 8, found dead in their Calimera home.
- The search began after the father filed a missing‑person report when he could not reach them and the boy did not attend school; a diver alerted the coast guard to the woman’s body, and Carabinieri later discovered the child.
- Investigative sources report the boy had wounds compatible with a cutting weapon and signs of strangulation, with the body found on the bed at home.
- Prosecutors in Lecce, with Carabinieri, are pursuing the working hypothesis of a murder–suicide and have ordered autopsies and toxicology to determine causes and timing.
- Records and local reporting describe prior family conflict, reciprocal complaints and social‑services involvement, as the town’s mayor and the school offer support and urge the public to avoid speculation.