Latest news with #CristinaPittalis
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Mother of Brit who vanished in Italy a year ago during trip with woman he met online says she has received mystery messages
The mother of a British tourist who has been missing for a year after vanishing in Sardinia has been sent messages saying: 'I tried to believe it was an accident.' Michael Frison, 26, from Chard in Somerset, disappeared in rural Luras on July 13, 2024 while staying with friend Niomi Orlandini, 27, from Jersey. His mother, Cristina Pittalis, said that the pair had met online in July 2023 and seen each other in person just once before he asked her to join him on the Italian island. While in Sardinia, Ms Orlandini called Ms Pittalis to say her son had come back from a walk in a confused state, rested, and then ventured off again without returning. The mother-of-two told The Sun that she has now received 'anonymous and disturbing Facebook messages' from someone she believes may know more. The messages, she said, 'reference guilty, fear, and the ability to remain silent.' 'I tried to forget. I tried to believe it was an accident. But the fear… it doesn't go,' one message read, according to The Sun. Ms Pittalis has since moved back to Sardinia, where she was born, in the hopes of finding Mr Frison, but says she has found nothing to explain his disappearance. Earlier this week, she told Sky News that she was living a 'never-ending nightmare' and called for Interpol to intervene. Mr Frison, who grew up in Bristol, flew from Bristol Airport to Olbia on July 2 last year to celebrate his 25th birthday and his grandmother's 70th. He asked his friend to join him on the island and cancelled his return flight home to stay with her for another week. Ms Pittalis understands that they left the grandparents' home together on July 12 and went to volunteer on a farm in return for food and lodging. They stayed in a tent near the German couple that owned the land. Mr Frison went missing on July 13. He is understood to have gone for a walk and returned 'confused', with symptoms of heatstroke. He left on another walk and never came back. Ms Orlandini found his clothes, including his trainers, nearby. 'Human beings do not disappear from the face of earth without leaving traces unless […] something extremely bad happened to them,' Ms Pittalis told Sky News. She said it was 'completely out of character' for him to leave barefoot, and assessed it 'extremely unlikely' he was suffering from heatstroke. He had lived on the island before and knew the climate, she said. Ms Pittalis previously said the last message she received from her son was the night before he went missing saying he would call her the next day. The mother revealed in October it was 'out of character' for her son to vanish without contacting his family. She said she has had no response from Ms Orlandini since she left the island but insists 'I'm not accusing her of anything'. She previously pleaded to her son's friend, as she believes she may have details regarding his whereabouts. 'I need you, Niomi. I need your help. You've done nothing wrong,' Cristina pleaded in October: 'However, you were the last person to be with Michael.' A fundraiser has been set up to try and raise funds to get volunteers out to Sardinia in the search for Mr Frison.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
'My only mission is to find my missing son'
The mother of a 26-year-old man who went missing in Sardinia a year ago says she is living a "constant nightmare". Michael Frison, from Chard in Somerset, went missing while visiting his family on holiday in the northern part of the Italian island on 13 July, 2024. After a year of tireless efforts to find her son, his mother, Cristina Pittalis, relocated to Sardinia with her 11-year-old son to continue searching for Michael and she urged Interpol to investigate. "I certainly would have never imagined to find myself here today still talking about Michael being missing," she said. "It's devastating. It's a constant nightmare. It's like living in limbo." Mr Frison, who grew up in Bristol, had gone to Sardinia to celebrate his 25th birthday with relatives. He had also been volunteering on a farm in the northern part of the island. More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset On the day he went missing, Mr Frison had reportedly gone for a walk and had come back in a "confused state", with symptoms of heat stroke. He then went for a second walk and never returned. The next day, his clothes were found "neatly folded up" nearby, his mother said. "It's all very mysterious," said Ms Pittalis. "All I know is that a person cannot just literally disappear from the face of the Earth." She said it was "extremely difficult" to believe that her son would have wondered off on his own in such "impervious land" without his clothes and his belongings. His clothes were taken in for forensic analysis in May and the results are expected no sooner than September 2025. A criminal investigation led by the Italian authorities is ongoing, but Ms Pittalis, has asked for Interpol to step in to try and find her son. The BBC has contacted Interpol for comment. In the past year, mountains, rivers and caves have all been searched to try and find Michael. "I need to find Michael," said Ms Pittalis, who added she would not give up. "My only mission is to find my son." Ms Pittalis asked for anyone with information to step forward, including a woman from Jersey she believes may have answers that could help the investigation. "It's almost like living in Groundhog Day - a repetition of the same day every day," she said. "Every time when the night comes, we just hope to find some clues and have good news or a phone call to say that Michael's been found. "That never happens. So the new day just starts and you carry on because you have to." Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Mum of man missing in Sardinia 'living in limbo' 'Don't be afraid' says mum to son missing in Italy Mum's search in extreme heat for missing son in Italy Desperate plea to find 'kind' son missing in Sardinia
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Mum lives 'constant nightmare' after son disappeared in Sardinia
The mother of a 26-year-old man who went missing in Sardinia a year ago says she is living a "constant nightmare".Michael Frison, from Chard in Somerset, went missing while visiting his family on holiday in the northern part of the Italian island on 13 July, a year of tireless efforts to find her son, his mother, Cristina Pittalis, relocated to Sardinia with her 11-year-old son to continue searching for Michael and she urged Interpol to investigate."I certainly would have never imagined to find myself here today still talking about Michael being missing," she said. "It's devastating. It's a constant nightmare. It's like living in limbo." Mr Frison, who grew up in Bristol, had gone to Sardinia to celebrate his 25th birthday with had also been volunteering on a farm in the northern part of the island. On the day he went missing, Mr Frison had reportedly gone for a walk and had come back in a "confused state", with symptoms of heat then went for a second walk and never returned. The next day, his clothes were found "neatly folded up" nearby, his mother said."It's all very mysterious," said Ms Pittalis."All I know is that a person cannot just literally disappear from the face of the Earth."She said it was "extremely difficult" to believe that her son would have wondered off on his own in such "impervious land" without his clothes and his clothes were taken in for forensic analysis in May and the results are expected no sooner than September 2025. 'Living in Groundhog Day' A criminal investigation led by the Italian authorities is ongoing, but Ms Pittalis, has asked for Interpol to step in to try and find her BBC has contacted Interpol for the past year, mountains, rivers and caves have all been searched to try and find Michael."I need to find Michael," said Ms Pittalis, who added she would not give up. "My only mission is to find my son."Ms Pittalis asked for anyone with information to step forward, including a woman from Jersey she believes may have answers that could help the investigation."It's almost like living in Groundhog Day - a repetition of the same day every day," she said."Every time when the night comes, we just hope to find some clues and have good news or a phone call to say that Michael's been found."That never happens. So the new day just starts and you carry on because you have to."
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'My son vanished on holiday island without trace – something terrible happened'
Cristina Pittalis is searching for her son Michael Frison (Image: Cristina Pittalis/Facebook) A British mother searching for her son who vanished in Sardinia exactly one year ago says she is "broken" as she pleads for fresh help. Michael Frison, 26, vanished on July 13, 2024 - just one day after arriving on the Italian island to volunteer on a farm. Despite extensive searches of nearby woodlands, caves and mountains, no trace of him has ever been found. His mother, Cristina Pittalis, originally from Sardinia but now living in Somerset, has since moved back to the island with her 11-year-old son in a desperate attempt to find answers. "I'm trying not to lose my mind," she said, recounting the last time she heard from him. "He was in a rush but absolutely clear in his speech, I didn't detect any confusion in his state of mind." Michael's mum fears something 'extremely bad' has happened (Image: Cristina Pittalis/Facebook) "Human beings do not disappear from the face of earth without leaving traces unless… something extremely bad happened to them," the mum told Sky News. Michael had reportedly gone out for a walk and returned in a confused state, showing signs of heatstroke. He then left again - this time barefoot - and never came back. Michael Frison, 26, vanished in Sardinia in July last year (Image: Facebook) His clothes and trainers were later discovered nearby. But Cristina believes the heatstroke theory doesn't add up. She said it was "extremely unlikely" he would suffer in the heat, as he'd previously lived on the island, and said it was "completely out of character" for him to abandon his belongings and wander off. She is now urging Interpol to intervene in the case, despite an ongoing local investigation. Cristina is also calling on a woman from Jersey - believed to have been with Michael in the days before he vanished - to come forward with any information. Despite extensive searches in Sardinia, he has never been found (Image: Cristina Pittalis/Facebook) She described the toll the disappearance has taken on Michael's younger half-brother Emanuele, whose father died in 2017. "He's devastated," she said. "The three of us were extremely close, the two of them, they used to do everything together. It's horrible, he lost his father and now he lost his brother." A friend of Cristina's previously launched a GoFundMe to support the family's search efforts, raising over $10,000 to help cover travel, legal costs, and awareness campaigns. Cristina said it was 'completely out of character' for him to abandon his belongings and wander off (Image: Cristina Pittalis/Facebook) "It's a never-ending nightmare," she said. "I am extremely worried because there are no traces of Michael."
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
Mum of Brit, 25, who vanished in Sardinia a year ago says she's living through ‘never-ending nightmare'
THE mother of a Brit man who went missing in Sardinia a year ago has said she's been "broken" since his disappearance. Michael Frison suddenly vanished on the Italian island, where he had just arrived to do volunteer work on a farm, in July 2024. 5 5 A year on from his disappearance, Michael's mother Cristina Pittalis has told Sky News of her anguish over what happened to him. "I'm trying not to lose my mind," she said as she recounted the last time she heard his voice. "He was in a rush but absolutely clear in his speech, I didn't detect any confusion in his state of mind." Michael, 26, vanished on 13 July 2024, just the day after he arrived on the Mediterranean island. Cristina, who is from Somerset, told the broadcaster: "Human beings do not disappear from the face of earth without leaving traces unless … something extremely bad happened to them." Her son had reportedly gone for a walk, and returned in a confused state and showing signs of heatstroke. After this, he went for a second walk - from which he never returned. His clothes and trainers were later found close by. Michael's mum told Sky News is was "extremely unlikely" he would suffer heatstroke as he had lived on the island before. It would also be "completely out of character" to wander off barefoot and leave his belongings behind, she added. Terrifying vids show flash floods surging through Italian towns leaving 1 dead She has now moved to Sardinia along with her other son, 11, in an attempt to look for Michael. Cristina, who is originally from Sassari in the island's northwest, said she is "extremely worried because there are no traces of Michael". Although a local investigation into his whereabouts is ongoing, Michael's mum wants Interpol to step in to help with the search. "It's a never-ending nightmare," she said. "There's no real accountability... I am here and I am broken." Cristina said that "during the past 12 months, the area was constantly searched, through woodland, caves, mountains" - but nothing was found. She is also calling for a woman from Jersey who is believed to have been with Michael in the days leading up to his disappearance to come forward with any available information. One of her friends previously set up a GoFundMe to help with the search that raised more than £10,000. The money was aimed at supporting various costs including travel, legal fees and awareness campaigns. Cristina further told Sky of the impact Michael's disappearance has had on his younger half-brother Emanuele. Emanuele's father died back in 2017. "He's devastated," she said. "The three of us were extremely close, the two of them, they used to do everything together." She added that for him "it's horrible, he lost his father and now he lost his brother." 5
