Francesco & Salvatore Pappalardi - killed by their father Filippo Pappalardi

Mummified Bodies Of Boys Found In Well




Nick Pisa
in Rome
Updated:16:20, Tuesday February 26, 2008

Italian firefighters called to rescue a teenager trapped down a well have made a grim discovery - the decomposing remains of two boys missing for more than 18 months.

Francesco Pappalardi, 12, and his brother Salvatore, 14, vanished in June 2006. Their father Filippo is in custody accused of their murder.

Before the discovery at the foot of a 20 metre disused well, the two brothers had last been seen playing in the street outside their home.


Emergency services were called to the well at Gravina in Puglia near Bari, southern Italy, after a 13-year-old, named only as Michele, fell down it while playing football with friends after school.


Firefighters were lowered into the well and after a delicate two hour operation Michele was successfully pulled out alive, suffering from fractures to both legs.

But it was as they went back down the well to shore it up and make it safe that they found the remains.

They were said to have fragments of clothing which were similar to the items worn by the two brothers when they disappeared.

Bari's police chief Vincenzo Maria Speranza said:"It looks without doubt that these are the remians of Francesco and Salvatore Pappalardi.


"What we need to establish now is did they fall down the well, were they pushed down there, or were they dumped there already dead.

"In order to do that we will need to carry out extensive tests on the remains and this will take several days."

Fire chief Giovanni Micunco said: "The first body was seen close to where the the boy fell down the well. The second was close by and both appeared to be mummified.


"Retrieving both sets of remains will be difficult and what we will probably do is dig another shaft down so that we can access the bodies and bring them safely to the surface."

In 1981 Italy was glued to the TV as an 18-hour rescue operation to rescue a six-year-old boy who had fallen down a well near Rome ended in failure.

Filippo Pappalardi: in custody since November, charged with murder




This is the first picture of the father who allegedly threw his two sons down a 60ft well and left them to die.

The brothers, aged 12 and 14, are thought to have survived being thrown into the well before suffering a "slow and terrible death".

They were found curled up in the foetal position, one with his thumb in his mouth.

The bodies were discovered by chance after another boy fell into the well while playing football nearby.

Firemen were called to rescue the trapped 13-year-old on Monday night at Gravina in Puglia near Bari, southern Italy.

During the rescue operation, they discovered the remains of Francesco Pappalardi and his brother Salvatore who vanished from their home in June 2006.

Their father Filippo has been in custody since November, charged with their murder.

The brothers were last seen playing in the street outside their home in Gravina.

Shortly before the bodies were identified, their mother Rosa said at the spot: "It's them - I know it's them, I have no doubt.

"A year ago I had a dream that they were down a well but I never thought they would be this close. For me my life is now over."

Emergency services were called to the well after a boy named only as Michele fell into the well while playing football with friends.

It took two hours for firemen to rescue him. He suffered two broken legs in the fall.

They discovered the boys after they went back down the well to shore it up and make it safe.

The remains of the boys had fragments of clothing which were similar to the items worn by the two brothers when they disappeared.

Bari's police chief Vincenzo Maria Speranza said: "What we need to establish now is did they fall down the well, were they pushed down there or were they dumped there already dead?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-527847/First-picture-father-threw-sons-left-die.html