Ashley Olsen was found nude on her bed in her rented apartment on
Saturday after her boyfriend had the owner open the door, alarmed that
the woman had failed to respond to phone calls.The body had bruises and scratches on the neck, and an autopsy determined that she had been strangled with a cord or a rope.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported early Thursday that police
detained the suspect Wednesday based on DNA evidence taken from the
scene. Investigators had narrowed in on the suspect using video
surveillance cameras along the route from the nightclub that showed them
together Friday morning, a day before Olsen's body was found. The man
was known to authorities for being involved in the local drug scene.
Authorities released no other details. The lead prosecutor had declined
to comment on the case earlier Wednesday, and police officials say they
are not authorized to speak to media during the investigation.
Olsen, originally from Summer Haven, Florida, had been living in
Florence for three years, an active member of the expatriate community
and art scene. She had moved to Italy to join her father Walter Olsen,
who teaches in the Renaissance art city.
Walter Olsen issued a statement late Tuesday expressing the family's grief and confidence that the killer would be found.
"We are devastated that our precious Ashley has passed away resulting from a horrible and senseless crime," he wrote.
He described his daughter as "a beautiful and creative young woman, with
a happy, exuberant and generous soul," adding: "We are heartbroken she
was taken from us."
He asked that the family be left to grieve in peace and expressed "faith that the perpetrator will be found and sentenced."
Source: AP
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