There has been a chilling update in the search for a missing five-year-old Peruvian girl who vanished from an Italian hotel occupied by 140 illegal migrants earlier this month.
A three-year-old girl who also lived in the former Astor Hotel in Florence told her parents she saw Kataleya Mia Chicillo Alvarez in tears while being dragged away by a man, according to La Repubblica.
Police are searching the building in the hopes of finding a trace of the girl or her abductors and said they expect to finish searching the building today, after covering 50 per cent of the property yesterday.
Meanwhile, investigators are also focusing on reviewing footage recovered from a camera at the scene which might have captured Kataleya’s disappearance on June 10.
She was allegedly bundled into a suitcase and kidnapped from the hotel that was occupied by 140 illegal migrants until they were evicted last Saturday, police reportedly believe.
Kataleya Mia Chicillo Alvarez, five, (pictured) from Peru, went missing on June 10 from the occupied Astor Hotel in Florence
Relatives of the missing five-year-old girl, Kataleya, weep during a religious ceremony at the Baptist church on Sunday
Police are searching the building in the hopes of finding a trace of the girl or her abductors and said they expect to finish searching the building today (pictured), after covering 50 per cent of the property yesterday
CCTV recorded her playing on some steps near a courtyard at the hotel at 3.12pm on June 10 before she vanished. No traces of Kataleya and her kidnappers were found in the area.
Italy’s Carabinieri Scientific Investigation Department officers and workers from local services are carrying out a desperate search for the five-year-old and have taken her toothbrush for DNA analysis.
On Sunday, ten police officers began to empty bins outside of the occupied hotel where Kataleya lived, while two teams of specialist officers arrived with search equipment.
Eight forensic officers were also on the scene as investigators finally emptied the building of all of its occupants in order to conduct an unimpeded search for the first time.
The inspection of the building is set to continue on Monday morning and the building has been manned to prevent intrusions and interference with evidence.
Kataleya’s parents, Kathrina Alvarez (pictured) and Miguel Angel Romero, attended a church service in Via Lulli, near the hotel, to pray for the safe return of their daughter
She was allegedly bundled into a suitcase and kidnapped from the hotel that was occupied by 140 illegal migrants until they were evicted last Saturday, police believe
A police officer checks a bin for evidence of the five-year-old, who went missing more than a week ago
A nearby building and garage were also combed over by officers as they believe the five-year-old might have been moved there temporarily.
Anti-mafia police are believed to be involved in the ongoing search.
Kataleya’s family lived in a room in the former hotel which became occupied in September last year. They moved to Italy when she was six months old.
On Saturday the building was cleared and it was discovered that 140 people were living there illegally.
There have been several violent incidents at the hotel recently, including an attack on an Ecuadorian man, who reportedly jumped from the third floor to avoid a gang armed with knives.
Kataleya’s parents, Kathrina Alvarez and Miguel Angel Romero, attended a church service in Via Lulli, near the hotel, to pray for the safe return of their daughter.
The Peruvian community in Florence gathers in the street with placards to plead for the return of the five-year-old
There have been several violent incidents at the hotel recently, including an attack on an Ecuadorian man, who reportedly jumped from the third floor to avoid a gang armed with knives
Specialist officers gained access to the full building for the first time on Sunday after removing 140 illegal occupants
A letter from the priest of the parish, Father Juan Manuel Núñez Rubio, chaplain of the Latin American community in Florence, announced that Cadinal Giuseppe Betori has asked people to pray for the missing child, La Repubblica reported.
‘This disappearance has mobilized many people full of good will – he adds – who courageously committed themselves from the first moment they learned of the disappearance, gathered together and began the search.
‘This disappearance saddened not only the Peruvians present in Florence, but also the whole Florentine community, even from abroad, in particular from Peru.’
‘We welcome once again the invitation that Cardinal Giuseppe Betori has addressed to all the parishes of the diocese of Florence to pray for the return of our Kataleya.’
Miguel was released from prison on Tuesday, where he had been detained since March for theft and credit card fraud, on the condition that he visit the local police station twice a week.
The sealed entrance gate of the former Astor hotel from where Kataleya disappeared
The Peruvian community in Florence has repeatedly taken to the streets with placards demanding the release of the girl
He admitted that he previously had trouble at the former Astor hotel but said earlier this week: ‘I had problems here before, but I don’t think it’s this thing, I can’t believe they are involving a little girl.
Confirming that the family paid rent for their ‘share’ of the hotel, Miguel added: ‘We bought only once, we took two rooms, also my brother and my father. I think it’s a kidnapping.
‘Maybe for extortion, I don’t know, I don’t have to judge, God will judge but my little girl has nothing to do with it. I don’t want any more problems with anyone, I love my family.’
Kathrina was discharged from hospital on Wednesday after ingesting bleach in desperation, saying: ‘I’ll be fine. Forgive me if for a moment I thought about giving up and losing hope. But now I’m stronger and I won’t rest until I find you.’
The Peruvian community in Florence has repeatedly taken to the streets with placards demanding the release of the girl.
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