Turin police arrest ex-partner for femicide of Daniela Florea, found hidden in storage bed

The crime and its discovery

Daniela Florea, a 36-year-old Romanian woman (one ANSA note gives her age as 35, while G4Media reports 35), was found dead on the evening of July 20, 2026, in her apartment at via Paisiello 17, in Turin's Barriera di Milano district. Her body was wrapped in a sheet and hidden inside the storage compartment of a double bed. A friend of Florea's, who had not heard from her for about ten days, entered the apartment using a set of keys provided by the landlord. Upon smelling a strong odor, he stepped out and called the police, who found the corpse. Florea, a cleaner by profession, had moved to the third-floor apartment with her 6-year-old son a few months earlier, leaving the ground-floor flat where she had lived with her former partner.

Cause of death and timeline

The autopsy determined that Florea died from severe cranial polytrauma and violent compression of the mouth and neck, injuries compatible with mechanical asphyxia. Medical examiners estimated the death occurred on the night of July 9 to 10, approximately ten days before the body was found. Florea had not been in contact with anyone since July 10. The babysitter of her son and a friend grew suspicious after receiving an unusual message from her phone on a Friday morning stating she was going on vacation. The friend went to look for her the following Monday and raised the alarm.

The suspect and the investigation

Daniel Trandafir, a 45-year-old plumber described by most sources as a Romanian citizen (Adnkronos refers to him as being of Polish origin), was arrested on the morning of August 5 at his home on via Porpora, in northern Turin, where he was found with the couple's 6-year-old son and the family dog Maya. He had been identified as a suspect on the evening the body was discovered, when police located him at his residence. He denied any involvement but gave contradictory accounts of the last times he had seen Florea. He was also found to possess a second set of keys to her apartment. Until his arrest, he had been investigated while at liberty.

Charges and motive

Trandafir faces charges of femicide, concealment of a corpse, and aggravated domestic abuse. The investigation, coordinated by prosecutor Delia Boschetto, lasted approximately 25 days. Investigators analyzed phone records from several numbers, reviewed surveillance camera footage from the area around Florea's apartment, and interviewed numerous witnesses who knew the couple. The motive, according to prosecutors, was Trandafir's refusal to accept the end of the relationship, which Florea had initiated several months earlier. Witnesses described him as too jealous and said he had attempted to maintain constant control over her even after the separation.