Global journalism groups are urging an exhaustive probe following the discovery of a sports journalist’s burned body on a farm in Italy.
The remains of 53-year-old Luigi “Luca” Esposito were uncovered by firefighters on July 19 as they extinguished a blaze on a farm in Eboli, according to a statement from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Investigators suspect that Esposito was fatally shot before being soaked in a flammable substance and set alight, as reported by Italian news source Il Mattino. Nonetheless, the specific cause of death is still undetermined, and the investigation into his demise continues.
The report indicates that firefighters responded to the farm, situated just south of Salerno, after flames were spotted by a security guard conducting a routine patrol.
Authorities managed to identify Esposito’s body using his car, which was discovered at the location, as noted by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Esposito arriving in the rural area, along with another man, then stopping the vehicle and letting it idle for several minutes, La Città di Salerno reported.
The Salerno Public Prosecutor’s Office is reportedly investigating the case as a homicide, CPJ reported. Oxygen reached out to the prosecutor’s office for additional comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
“We are deeply shocked by the brutal killing of Italian sports journalist Luca Esposito,” CPJ’s Europe representative Attila Mong noted in the statement. “Italian authorities must act quickly and transparently to establish the full circumstances and determine whether this terrible event is linked to Luca Esposito’s journalism.”
Esposito was a freelance sports journalist often contributing to the daily newspaper Città di Salerno and TV station Otto Channel, according to the EFJ. He also served as the editor-in-chief of a website specializing in soccer news.
In addition, Esposito also worked for the Regional Environmental Agency (Arpac) in Avellino, the organization reported.
“The motives behind the crime are not known. The EFJ and the IFJ call on the Italian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation as quickly as possible in order to establish any causal links between the crime and the victim’s journalistic activities,” the organization noted in its statement, while also referencing the International Federations of Journalists (IFJ). “The IFJ and the EFJ also wish to express their condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones.”