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Red Cross Ambulance Driver Arrested in Forlì Probe of Elderly Deaths

The case puts emergency transport oversight under scrutiny pending forensic checks on five reported deaths.

Overview

  • Luca Spada, 27, was arrested Saturday under a judge’s custody order in a Forlì investigation into deaths of elderly patients during or shortly after ambulance transfers.
  • Prosecutor Enrico Cieri is leading the case with the carabinieri, and Spada is formally under investigation for voluntary homicide, which in Italy denotes an intentional killing allegation.
  • Spada worked as an Italian Red Cross operator and ambulance driver in Meldola and had been suspended from service during the probe.
  • Media reports cite five deaths over about five months in 2025, all involving frail patients moved between homes, hospitals, or care facilities in the Forlì area.
  • Forensic work remains incomplete, with one autopsy performed and further examinations under evaluation, and investigators are assessing whether the deaths stemmed from natural causes or criminal acts.