Here’s the latest twist in the case of Saman Abbas, a young Pakistani woman in Italy who disappeared a year ago and is thought to have been “honor-killed” by her relatives.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from Il Giornale:

Skull and bones discovered on river bank. “It could be Saman…”

The bone fragments were found wrapped in a cellophane bag on the banks of the Tiepido River. A short distance away were also women’s clothes. Hypothetically remains of Saman Abbas

by Rosa Scognamiglio
April 4, 2022

A skull and some bone fragments wrapped in a cellophane bag. The macabre discovery that a resident of Torre Maina, in the territory of Maranello, came across while walking along the banks of the Tiepido River. The remains, apparently of a woman, were turned over to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for the requisite findings. According to what Il Resto del Carlino reports, investigators do not exclude the possibility that they could belong to Saman Abbas, the 18-year-old Pakistani who disappeared from Novellara, in the province of Reggio Emilio, last year.

The human remains

The alarm went out Saturday night. Alerting the Carabinieri was a passerby who noticed the presence of a suspicious bag on the banks of the Tiepido, at the point where a small bicycle and walking path winds. Arriving at the scene of the report, the officers of the investigative unit searched the bag, ascertaining the contents. It appears to be human remains — a skull and other bone fragments, to be exact, apparently female. The hypothesis is supported by the discovery of some women’s clothes at a location a short distance away from the cellophane packaging.

The hypotheses

At this time, no hypothesis is excluded. The remains were turned over to the experts at Forensic Medicine who will be tasked with determining the approximate age of the person to whom they belong. Not a negligible detail, since it could provide interesting investigative clues. At this very time, the officers of the investigative unit, coordinated by the Prosecutor’s Office of Modena, are going through reports of disappearances recorded in recent months in an effort to give an identity to the victim. “It is a disturbing discovery, so we hope it will clarify the matter in as short a period as possible. In the meantime, the local government will remain at the disposition of the police in case they need assistance,” the mayor of Maranello, Luigi Zironi, commented.

Why they could be from Saman

According to the rumor picked up by Il Resto del Carlino, the investigators do not exclude the possibility that the bone fragments may belong to Saman Abbas, the 18-year-old Pakistani who disappeared from Novellara in April of 2020 [sic*]. The hypothesis is supported by the criminal scenario presented by the Prosecutor’s Office of Reggio Emilia, according to which the young girl was killed by relatives after she opposed an arranged marriage with a cousin in her homeland. Subsequently, the cadaver was allegedly hidden. At any rate, it will be necessary to await the results of the forensic medical findings to dispel any doubt.

* Saman Abbas disappeared in April 2021— translator.

Previous posts about the honor killing of Saman Abbas: