In Tuscany, Vasile Frumuzache, a 32-year-old Romanian national, was apprehended after confessing to the murder and beheading of 30-year-old Maria Denisa Paun. The discovery was disturbing. Near an abandoned farmhouse in Montecatini Terme, her remains were discovered stuffed inside a suitcase. Her skull was reportedly burned and located miles away.
It was reported that Paun, who was initially from Romania and currently resides in Rome, was missing in mid-May after she traveled to Prato for work. Frumuzache allegedly met her through a dating application and arranged to meet at a hotel, according to investigators. Allegedly, Paun demanded €10,000 in order to maintain silence regarding their affair following an intimate encounter. During the confrontation, Frumuzache admitted to strangling her, dismembering her corpse, and attempting to destroy evidence by setting fire to her head in his garden.
Eventually, the suitcase and the missing body parts were located by authorities, who monitored his movements using GPS data and hotel surveillance techniques. He was reportedly observed entering the hotel with a bag and exiting with a large suitcase, which is now believed to have contained Paun’s corpse, according to the footage.
In a further twist, Frumuzache also acknowledged the murder of Ana Maria Andrei, another woman who disappeared in August 2024. He said that she declined to participate in sexual activity after receiving payment, which resulted in a fatal assault. Her body has not yet been located.
The incident has caused significant controversy in Italy, fostering heightened discourse regarding the hazards that women encounter, particularly those employed in industries that are either unregulated or vulnerable. Frumuzache is currently being charged with multiple offenses, including murder and concealment of a corpse, as investigators investigate the potential for additional victims.