SerpApi.Org
The charred and beaten remains of a high-profile sports journalist were discovered on a rural farm in Italy — with curious security footage capturing his apparent final moments with an unknown individual.
The burned body of Luigi “Luca” Esposito, 53, was shockingly uncovered by firefighters while extinguishing a blaze on farmland in Eboli, the southern province of Salerno, on Sunday, according to local outlets.
Esposito’s body, despite being heavily burnt, also showed evidence of multiple fractures to his face, ribs and pelvis, La Repubblica reported.
Bullet shell casings were also found near the farm, according to the outlet.
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Esposito was an accomplished local media personality, working as the editor-in-chief of a soccer news site, TuttoSalernitana.com, and as a television sports commentator.
He was also an employee of the Regional Environmental Agency, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists said in separate statements.
The reporter had his keys in his pocket when authorities discovered his charred body, and his vehicle was found abandoned and locked nearby — suggesting he voluntarily left the car before he was killed, La Repubblica said.
Security footage also captured Esposito with another person near the farmland just hours before his remains were found, according to La Città di Salerno, where he was a contributing reporter.
A definitive cause of death has not yet been revealed, and a coroner plans to conduct additional tests, according to Corriere Della Sera.
The incident remains under investigation by the Salerno Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to local reports.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and Federation of European Journalists both called on Italian authorities to probe whether Esposito’s work as a sports journalist was linked to his horrific death.
“We are deeply shocked by the brutal killing of Italian sports journalist Luca Esposito,” Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative, said in a statement.
“Italian authorities must act quickly and transparently to establish the full circumstances and determine whether this terrible event is linked to Luca Esposito’s journalism.”
