British woman, 66, is knifed to death at her Italian home in murder that has shocked ‘Little England’ expat community: Police hunt husband after friend finds victim in pool of blood
- The victim, 66, was found by her friend in Italy with stab wounds in her abdomen
A British woman has been found stabbed to death in her Italian home, with her murder sending shockwaves through her expat community in ‘Little England’.
The 66-year-old victim, who has not been named, was found this morning by her friend with a stab wound to her stomach in her rural home in a village near Casoli, a town in eastern Italy.
Police are now looking for her 74-year-old husband, who is also British, after he reportedly left the scene in the family car before police could question him, reports the Republic.
The woman’s lifeless body was discovered in a pool of blood by a concerned friend who had traveled from the nearby town of Palombaro, home to 100 British expats, after calling her this morning but receiving no answer.
Her friend had not heard from her in three days and had become increasingly concerned, so she decided to check on her, police said.
Neighbors said they heard the victim’s friend scream in horror when he found the 66-year-old in a pool of blood and called police who arrived at the rural home.
A British woman has been found stabbed to death in her Italian home as police hunt for her husband who allegedly left in the family car (stock image)
Police are now desperately searching for the woman’s husband, who apparently left in the family car.
Medical examiners are also conducting forensic tests to determine how long the victim had been dead before she was discovered by her heartbroken friend.
Local prosecutor Mirvana Di Serio was at the scene and the house, which is on a remote road in the countryside, has been locked down while police conduct forensic investigations.
The couple had lived in the house in the countryside near Palombara for about three years and was described by local residents as ‘very private’. They were often seen walking their three dogs through the surrounding countryside.
A source told MailOnline: ‘The alarm was raised after a friend tried to call her this morning and got no answer, so she went to her house.
‘When she got there, she found the woman dead with a stab wound to the stomach. Her screams alerted other neighbors and the police were called.
The victim, 66, who has not been named, was found this morning by her friend with stab wounds in her stomach at her rural home in the village of Verratti near Casoli, a town in eastern Italy.
‘They mainly kept to themselves, but you would occasionally see them walking their three dogs.
‘There is some suggestion that she may have been murdered days ago and the body was only discovered because the friend went to check on her and had not spoken to her since the weekend.
‘The man is English, but he has not been seen and the police are said to be looking for him.’
The nearby community of Palombaro is home to a hundred British expats who have moved to the area to buy and renovate abandoned farmhouses.
The wider Abruzzo region is popular with middle-class Britons who have moved there for the cheap cost of living or who have holiday homes there.
MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.