Son feared dead 'may be living in Ireland'

Desperate mum's 'theory' after alleged sightings of missing Italian

- BY MICHAEL O'TOOLE

THE mother of this Italian man missing feared dead believes he may be alive and living in Ireland.

Italian cops are working on the theory that Riccardo Branchini, who disappeared from his home country a year ago this month, died by suicide - but his mother Federica Pambianchi believes he could be living here.

She told The Star: "He knows English well and had been in Ireland a month before he disappeared."

Riccardo was 19 when he was last seen at his home in Aqualagna, near Ancona, on October 13, 2024 a month after coming back from an Erasmus trip to Dublin.

Since his disappearance, she has received at least two messages claiming her son was living in Dingle, Co Kerry, and also in Galway.

Ms Pambianchi said: "This summer, I received some strange reports from the Dingle peninsula.