Pierluigi told Emanuela Orlandi’s family that his girlfriend spotted the teen in the Campo dei Fiori. In addition to matching the description of Orlandi, Pierluigi’s girlfriend said the teen was playing the flute and selling cosmetics for cash. However, the girl insisted that her name was Barbara. As reported by Insider, another man, who identified himself as Mario, contacted Orlandi’s family to report meeting the same teen. Although the family received hundreds of reports of sightings and information about their daughter’s supposed whereabouts, Insider reports that a vast majority of the callers had misinformation or were playing pranks. However, one call was particularly frightening and sent chills throughout the community.
As reported by HuffPost, Emanuela Orlandi’s father, Ercole, was employed by the Vatican Prefecture as a clerk and was in charge of organizing papal audiences. The disappearance of his daughter ultimately prompted Pope John Paul II to make a public appeal for information about the teen’s disappearance and her safe return. Within days, the Orlandi family received a call from someone identifying themselves as Emanuela’s kidnapper.
The caller contacted the Orlandi family and Vatican officials, claiming he would exchange Emanuela for a man named Ali Agca — who was imprisoned for shooting and injuring Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981. According to Insider, authorities never determined the identity of the caller. However, they had reason to believe he was an American based on his accent.
