Luciano Capasso, 25, was found dead in St. Moritz after disappearing while hiking. His family reports delays in rescue operations and inadequate responses from local authorities.
- What happened: Luciano disappeared while attempting to reach a 2.700-meter peak.
- Why the complaint: The family members complain of serious negligence in the management of the search.
- What now: Capasso's body will be repatriated to Italy, without an official investigation in Switzerland.
- Useful detail: The avalanche that hit Luciano was classified as a Category 4, raising questions about avalanche warnings.
Rescue delays. This is what the family of Luciano Capasso, 25, a native of Qualiano who worked as a hotel driver in Switzerland, reported. He was found dead after disappearing during a hike in the mountains near St. Moritz.
According to family reports, the young man left before dawn, around 4:00 a.m., to climb to an altitude of 2.700 meters, only to be caught in a snowstorm. He disappeared from that point on.
In the following days, the 25-year-old's phone reportedly rang in vain, and the connection was subsequently lost. A passage cited by family members also mentions a status detected by military GPS: "I'm trying not to die," but it remains unclear when it was actually written.
The authorities' version: "caught by an avalanche," high risk
The family's lawyer, Sergio Pisani, stated that Swiss authorities informed the relatives that Capasso was hit by an avalanche. According to the reported reconstruction, it was a Category 4 avalanche on a scale of up to 5, meaning it was significant.
Pisani emphasizes that this information "changes the picture" compared to initial hypotheses and shifts attention to a key point: verifying whether, during the days of the excursion, an avalanche warning had been issued to signal the danger and what indications were in place in the area.
The family's accusations: "The search never began."
The family, through Emmanuel Capasso, the victim's brother, denounces "gross negligence" in the responses received from local authorities and in the handling of requests for help. Emmanuel reports that "the search never began" and that from the beginning, he received communications deemed offensive.
Among the reported phrases: "Get ready for a funeral," reportedly the response to his mother, and "Get over it, we don't have a magic ball," which Emmanuel says he heard before the call was abruptly ended. The reason given, according to the family member, was related to the weather conditions.
No investigation in Switzerland and return of the body
The brother also reports that the Swiss authorities have communicated that no investigation will be opened into the death and that the authorization for the body's return to Italy has been granted, a possibility expected in the next few hours or days.
On the forensic front, the family says they have asked that an autopsy not be ordered. However, the issue of a possible case file in Italy remains: if an investigation were opened, an autopsy could become necessary for the investigation.
Defense concerns: avalanche warning and search resources
Lawyer Pisani insists on the need for investigations: if the avalanche was indeed a level 4, the outcome may have been inevitable even with timely rescue efforts. However, he adds, "it remains to be ascertained" whether alerts were issued and whether alternative search tools, such as drones or other technologies, were available during the days of the disappearance.
Pisani also highlights a personal element: Capasso was not "a fool," but a former soldier trained to deal with extreme situations, a circumstance that, from the family's perspective, would make it even more important to clarify timeframes, procedures, and operational choices.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
What happened to Luciano Capasso is very sad. The family is right to demand an explanation. It would be important to know if there were avalanche warnings and if the rescue was timely. I don't understand why this isn't being clarified.