Yara Gambirasio

Who Was Yara Gambirasio?

Thirteen-year-old Yara Gambirasio was born in Brembate di Sopra, Italy. Yara’s sister Keba was two years older than her. She also had two little brothers, Natan and Giole. Natan and Giole were both under the age of then at the time of their sister’s murder. Her mother worked as a teacher in a nearby village, and her father was a postman.

The young girl dreamed of becoming a gymnast when she grew up. She took rhymic gymnastics classes, which she usually walked to by herself. Yara’s parents were not concerned that Yara walked alone. Their neighborhood of Brembate di Sopra was a safe neighborhood where nothing bad ever happened. By 9:00 PM, everything in the town is shut down, even the bars.

The Day Yara Gambirasio Went Missing

On Friday, November 10, 2010, Yara Gambirasio left the sports center around 6:00 PM after her gymnastics class. The sports center was only seven hundred meters from Yara’s home, but the poor girl would never make it home again.

When Yara still hadn’t returned home by 7:30 PM, her frantic mom and dad called the police. It was a cold, snowy evening, and Yara’s parents were concerned for their daughter all alone in the cold. Investigators spoke to Yara’s gymnastics teacher, who confirmed the teenager was at the sports center early in the evening. The investigators also established that the last anyone heard from Yara was at 6:44 PM when she sent a text message to her friend Marina.

Witnesses came forward and told investigators they thought they saw Yara Gambirasio talking to two men in a red car, but other than that, they had no information to offer. Tracker dogs came in and, instead of leading the investigators toward Yara’s home, took them to a city called Mapello. Mapello was where Yara’s mobile phone last pinged.

Even though the evidence pointed away from Yara’s immediate family, investigators always start with those closest to the victim. Investigators interrogated every member of the Gambirasio family. After thoroughly searching Yara’s family, the investigators on her case cleared them.

Yara Gambirasio’s Body is Found

Exactly three months after Yara Gambirasio’s disappearance, a man flew a remote-controlled airplane in the town of Chignolo d’Isola. When he went to retrieve his plane after it crashed in the brush, he found the decomposed body of a young girl.

Near the body, which medical examiners later confirmed was Yara, was the girl’s black bomber jacket and Hello Kitty sweater. Investigators searched the crime scene and found the dead girl’s iPod, and the battery for her cell phone. During her autopsy, the medical examiner determined she hadn’t been sexually assaulted. Yara had suffered multiple stab wounds from a sharp weapon and blunt force trauma. Traces of lime were also found in her respiratory passages which made investigators think her killer worked in construction.

Suspects in Yara Gambirasio’s Murder

Investigators attempted to trace all the calls from Mapello on the day Yara disappeared. One of these calls was made by a Moroccan man named Mohammed Fikri. A translator translated a phone conversation Mohammed had and said they heard the man say,” “Forgive me, God, I didn’t kill her.”

On December 4, 2010, investigators arrested Mohammed. They searched his van and found what looked like a blood-stained mattress. Many people thought Mohammed was guilty because of his race and religion. Fortunately for Mohammed, the translator came forward and admitted they mistranslated his conversation. The blood in the van also had nothing to do with Yara’s death.

Genetic material was found on Yara’s body, and forensic scientists compared about twenty-two thousand DNA profiles to no avail. Investigators referred to their suspect as “Ignoto 1,” which translates to Unknown 1.

Geneticists narrowed the DNA results to a long-dead bus driver’s sons. Investigators tested the DNA samples of the dead man’s sons, but neither of them matched the sample found on Yara’s body. The investigators were stumped. Digging deeper into the deceased bus driver’s history, investigators discovered he had an illegitimate son named Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti.

Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti is described as someone who enjoyed partying, even earning the nickname “the animal” from his friends. At the time of Yara’s murder, Bossetti worked as an Italian bricklayer , was married, and had three children. He resided in the city of Mapello, where Yara’s cell phone last pinged.

Arrest and Trial of Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti

In June 2014, authorities set up a roadblock near Bossetti’s home. Bossetti drove by with his wife and children and was stopped by the investigators. They asked him to take a breathalyzer test, which he did. He passed, so they allowed him to go. Investors were now armed with Bossetti’s DNA on the mouthpiece.

Once tested, the DNA match was evident, Bossetti was the man who murdered Yara. A few days later, officers arrested Bossetti at his job. Bossetti’s trial began in 2015. Due to the overwhelming evidence against him, Bossetti was sentenced to life in prison. The Italian child murderer is now serving his sentence of life imprisonment. In November 2019, Bossetti’s attorney asked for a review of the DNA evidence, which the courts denied.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Yara Gambirasio?

Yara Gambirasio was a thirteen-year-old Italian girl who was murdered on November 26, 2010.

How much of Yara is true?

The movie is a fictional account of the real-life murder of Yara Gambirasio.

Who abducted Yara?

Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti abducted and murdered Yara.