Woman Beheaded, Stuffed in Suitcase in Shocking Italy Murder
The tragic disappearance of a young Romanian woman in Italy has ended in horror after her beheaded body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near an abandoned farmhouse in Montecatini Terme, a town about 25 miles west of Florence, Tuscany.
The victim, 30-year-old Maria Denisa Paun, had been missing since May 15 after vanishing from her home in Prato.
Nearly three weeks later, investigators uncovered her dismembered remains hidden in a suitcase and garbage bag, bringing a chilling end to the search.
Authorities have arrested and charged 32-year-old Vasile Frumuzache, a fellow Romanian national and local security guard, who has confessed to the murder.
According to investigators, Frumuzache admitted to strangling Paun, decapitating her with a knife, and attempting to burn her head using gasoline. He later concealed her body inside the suitcase found at the crime scene.
Frumuzache told police that he met Paun, who reportedly worked as an escort, through a dating app.
He claimed the killing was triggered by an extortion attempt, saying she threatened to tell his wife about their encounter unless he paid her €10,500 (approximately $11,450). “She was blackmailing me.
That’s why I killed her,” he allegedly said. “When I told her I was married, she said she could reach my wife.”
Hotel surveillance footage captured Frumuzache arriving at the location late on May 15 with a black bag and leaving a few hours later carrying a white suitcase—later confirmed to be Paun’s. He was seen loading it into his Volkswagen Golf.
Investigators tracked his movements using GPS data from a device installed in his car by his insurance company.
This data ultimately led authorities to the remote farmhouse where Paun’s body was discovered.
The brutal nature of the crime has stunned the local community and drawn widespread media attention across Italy.
Initial fears of organized crime involvement circulated as speculation grew during her disappearance, but Frumuzache’s confession has brought a tragic and deeply disturbing resolution to the case.
Woman Beheaded, Stuffed in Suitcase in Shocking Italy Murder