Beheaded Body of Missing Romanian Woman Found in Suitcase in Italian Tourist Town; Man Confesses to Murder

The headless body of escort Maria Denisa Paun was found near an abandoned farmhouse in the Tuscan countryside

The beheaded and burned body of a 30-year-old Romanian woman who went missing in Tuscany has been discovered inside a suitcase near an abandoned farmhouse, three weeks after she was last seen.

Maria Denisa Paun, who had been living in the town of Prato, vanished on May 15. Her dismembered remains were recovered Wednesday in Montecatini Terme, a well-known spa destination about 25 miles west of Florence. The grim discovery has shocked the region and drawn national attention.

Paun was last seen alive on May 15 at a hotel in the Tuscan town of Prato

According to investigators, Vasile Frumuzache, a 32-year-old Romanian man working as a security guard, confessed to murdering Paun. He reportedly told authorities that he strangled her after she threatened to expose their affair to his wife unless he paid her €10,500 (around $11,450).

Frumuzache, a married father of two, said he had met Paun on a dating app. They arranged to meet at a hotel the night of her disappearance. After they had sex, she allegedly demanded money and threatened to contact his wife. “She was blackmailing me, that’s why I killed her,” he allegedly stated during police questioning.

Her alleged killer, wearing blue, claimed she was blackmailing him by threatening to go to his wife.

Prosecutors say Frumuzache admitted to strangling Paun, decapitating her with a knife, and setting her head on fire with gasoline. He then placed her remains in a black garbage bag and concealed them in her own white suitcase. Security footage from the hotel captured Frumuzache arriving at 10:50 p.m. on May 15 with a black bag. Around 1 a.m., he was seen leaving with Paun’s suitcase, loading it into his Volkswagen Golf.

Authorities were able to trace Frumuzache’s movements through GPS data from his vehicle, which had a tracker installed by his insurance provider. The signal led investigators to a remote farmhouse in Montecatini Terme on Wednesday morning, where they discovered Paun’s headless body and the suitcase containing her remains.

Paun was decapitated and her head set on fire

Paun, who worked as an escort, had reportedly relocated from Rome to Tuscany shortly before her death. Her disappearance had sparked widespread speculation and concern across Italy, with early theories suggesting possible involvement of organized criminal gangs.

Frumuzache now faces multiple charges, including murder and suppression of a corpse. The case continues to draw significant public interest as authorities work to complete the forensic investigation.

Her remains were found in a suitcase