British Man Found Dead In Remote Sicilian Countryside As Police Launch Probe

Italian police have launched an investigation following the discovery of a 35-year-old British man's naked body in a rural area of Sicily, The Telegraph reported. The body of the man, identified as Benjamin John Braithwaite from Leeds, was spotted inside a tent set up near an old, empty farmhouse in the province of Syracuse, located between the towns of Noto and Canicattini Bagni.

While there's no confirmation whether the death was caused by an accident, an attack or suicide, early reports from local Italian media pointed toward strange circumstances surrounding the scene.

Several outlets noted that items such as a rope, drugs, and a goat's head were found around at the scene, raising questions about whether the death might be connected to some ritual.

The presence of goat's head and drugs was particularly intriguing, prompting the Italian press to mention "occult or esoteric rituals".

Also read | 15-Year-Old Survives 62 Hours At Sea, Refuses To Let Go Of Dead Brother And Cousin

However, law enforcement officials have since clarified details regarding the scene. Police confirmed that while a drawing with mystical or symbolic imagery was found on a wall on the property, it was not near the area where the body was located. Authorities added that there was no immediate evidence directly linking the man's death to a ritual.

As per The Telegraph, a postmortem will be conducted next Tuesday, and the police have also interviewed the members of the off-grid settlement.

Also read | Japan Introduces World's First 'Robot Ambulance' For On-The-Spot Humanoid Repairs

"We will have to wait for the postmortem before we can establish the cause of death," Lt Col Sara Pini, the officer in charge of the investigation, told The Telegraph. "The area where his body was found is in the countryside, where a group of young people live. It's pretty rustic."

"Among the young people who live in this area there are university graduates who have chosen to leave everything behind," said Paolo Amenta, the mayor of Canicattini Bagni, said as quoted in the report.