A man in Italy is accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, locking her inside the trunk of his car and throwing her from a highway bridge before jumping to his own death.
Federico Vella, 38, allegedly abducted 45-year-old Lorena Isceri from her home in the Rifredi area of Florence on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to multiple Italian news outlets.
Investigators believe Vella waited for Isceri inside the garage of her home until she returned. He then allegedly forced her into the trunk of his car and drove away.
Isceri, who worked in the veterinary field, still had her cellphone and managed to call police for help during the terrifying ordeal.
Authorities said Vella later took the phone away from her before allegedly throwing her from a bridge along the A1 highway.
Highway Patrol officers rushed to the scene and reportedly found Vella standing precariously on the bridge. Moments later, he jumped to his death.
Investigators have ordered an autopsy to determine exactly how Isceri died, including whether she was already dead before being thrown from the bridge or whether she was killed by the fall.
Isceri’s mother said her daughter had previously expressed fear about her relationship with Vella.
“I last heard from her yesterday at 10:30 a.m. and she was calm,” her mother told SkyTG24. “She had told me about this relationship; she was afraid, too afraid.”
Just weeks before the deaths, Vella appeared to publicly address his breakup with Isceri in an emotional Instagram post.
On Aug. 12, he shared a montage of photos and videos of the former couple along with a message about losing the woman he loved.
“Some things fit together so perfectly that, even if you separate them, the other’s shape stays with you forever,” he wrote.
He added that he had lost Isceri because of his “foolishness” and wrote, “I will be yours even if I can no longer be yours.”
Prosecutor Antonio Natale of the Florence Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Florence mobile squad are leading the investigation into the deaths.
Isceri’s killing comes amid growing concern over violence against women in Italy.
According to figures cited by the feminist organization Non Una di Meno and The Guardian, 40 women had been killed in Italy as of Aug. 8, 2026. Several of those women were allegedly killed by current or former partners.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Isceri and Vella’s deaths.
