49-year-old Sonia Bottacchiari and her two teenagers disappeared after leaving Piacenza for a camping trip in Friuli Venezia Giulia on April 20. Their phones have been turned off since that day and they did not return as planned on April 24. Bottacchiari's car was located in Tarcento on May 6, and the Piacenza prosecutor has opened a child abduction probe. Searches and investigations remain active as authorities follow multiple leads.
Mother and Her Two Teenagers Missing Weeks After Planned Camping Trip; Probe Into Possible Abduction Underway
Sonia Bottacchiari and her two childrenCredit: Family Handout
A mother and her two teenage children remain missing weeks after leaving Piacenza for a planned camping getaway in northeastern Italy. Authorities and family members are searching for 49-year-old Sonia Bottacchiari and her children — a 14-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter — who vanished after setting out on April 20.
Timeline and Last Known Movements
Bottacchiari reportedly drove from the family's home province of Piacenza to Friuli Venezia Giulia with the family's four dogs. All three family members' mobile phones have been switched off since April 20, and they were expected to return on April 24 but never arrived.
Sonia Bottacchiari and her two children have been missing since April 20Credit: Family Handout
On May 6, investigators located Bottacchiari’s Chevrolet parked in the town of Tarcento. Her estranged husband, Yuri Groppi — separated from Bottacchiari for 12 years — said Sonia texted him on April 20 to say they were heading to the Gemona campsite. Their son also texted that day, telling his father, "Twenty minutes and we're here. Bye, Dad," and the daughter messaged a classmate about a school test.
Investigation And Leads
The Piacenza Public Prosecutor's Office (PPPO) has opened an investigation into a possible child abduction. Family members filed a missing persons report after the trio failed to arrive at the planned campsite and could not be contacted.
Piacenza Public Prosecutor's OfficeCredit: Google
Relatives told local media that campsite staff said they had no record of a reservation and had not seen Bottacchiari or the children. A social worker who visited the family's home the day after they disappeared reported finding roughly 15 days' worth of supplies for Bottacchiari's elderly father, who lives with the family; that discovery prompted a complaint filed on April 27.
Italian outlets also reported that Bottacchiari resigned from her job and collected money from her employer shortly before the trip. Yuri Groppi has suggested his ex-wife may have been introduced to an "adventurous lifestyle" by someone she met prior to leaving, though investigators have not confirmed that claim.
Current Status
Searches and inquiries by local authorities are ongoing. People magazine reported it had contacted the Piacenza Public Prosecutor's Office for comment; no further public updates on the family's whereabouts have been released.
Anyone with information about Sonia Bottacchiari or her children is asked to contact local authorities immediately.
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