Guerrina Piscaglia Case: A Decade of Mystery as Missing Woman Declared Dead, Body Still Unfound
March 31, 2025 – In the tiny Italian exclave of Ca’ Raffaello, nestled within the Marche region, the name Guerrina Piscaglia still evokes whispers of intrigue and sorrow. Eleven years after the 50-year-old housewife and mother vanished on May 1, 2014, her disappearance remains an enduring enigma—one marked by a murder conviction, a missing body, and a community forever altered by suspicion and unanswered questions.
Piscaglia’s life was unremarkable by most accounts. A dedicated mother to her disabled son, Lorenzo, and wife to Mirko Alessandrini, she was a fixture in the tight-knit village of fewer than 300 souls. On the day she disappeared—Italy’s Labour Day holiday—she reportedly left home for a walk and was never seen again. What followed was a sprawling investigation that peeled back the quiet veneer of Ca’ Raffaello, exposing secrets that would lead to the doorstep of the local church.
The case took a dramatic turn when investigators zeroed in on Father Gratien Alabi, a Congolese priest who served as the vice-parish priest in the village. Phone records revealed hundreds of messages and calls between Alabi and Piscaglia, including contact on the day she went missing. Rumors swirled of an illicit relationship, with some villagers claiming Piscaglia had undergone a subtle transformation—dressing more stylishly and shedding weight—suggesting an emotional entanglement. Prosecutors later theorized that Alabi, fearing the consequences of their bond becoming public, murdered Piscaglia and hid her body.
Arrested in 2015, Alabi faced trial in a case that captivated Italy, blending clerical scandal with the mystery of a missing woman. Despite the absence of Piscaglia’s body or direct forensic evidence, the court convicted him of murder and concealment in October 2016, sentencing him to 27 years in prison. The ruling hinged on circumstantial evidence: the incriminating phone records, Alabi’s evasive responses during questioning, and testimony from locals who sensed tension between the priest and his parishioner. Piscaglia was legally declared dead, though no trace of her has ever been recovered.
The lack of a body has fueled ongoing debate. Italian law permits murder convictions without physical remains if the evidence is compelling, but for many, the Piscaglia case teeters on the edge of uncertainty. “It’s a puzzle with a missing piece,” said legal analyst Sofia Bianchi. “The conviction stands, but without her body, doubts persist.” Search efforts spanning the rugged countryside, nearby woodlands, and even the Metauro River have turned up empty, leaving investigators and Piscaglia’s family in limbo.
For Mirko Alessandrini, the years since his wife’s disappearance have been a mix of grief and frustration. “I believe she’s gone, but not knowing where she is—it’s a torment,” he said in a recent interview. The family formally accepted her death declaration in 2018, yet the absence of closure gnaws at them. Meanwhile, Alabi, now serving his sentence, continues to profess his innocence, backed by a small but vocal group of supporters who argue the evidence was circumstantial at best.
The Piscaglia case has left an indelible mark on Ca’ Raffaello. Once a place where everyone knew each other, the village now carries the weight of distrust and division. The story has also found new life in the digital age, with true crime forums and documentaries speculating about alternate scenarios: Could Piscaglia have fled her life? Was another culprit overlooked? Or does her body lie in an undiscovered grave, waiting to tell its tale?
As the 11th anniversary of her disappearance approaches, Guerrina Piscaglia’s fate remains a haunting question mark. Declared dead by the courts, her physical absence ensures that the mystery endures—a testament to the limits of justice and the power of the unknown in a case that refuses to fade into history.