Rome woman found dead in closet, son arrested after admitting to killing her over drug money

Discovery of the body

The body of 71-year-old Iole Liberatori, born in 1955, was found inside a closet in her apartment on the 14th floor of a building in largo Ferruccio Mengaroni 10, tower 2, in Rome's Tor Bella Monaca neighborhood. The discovery was made around midnight between Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August 2026, after the victim's sister contacted emergency services (112) because she had been unable to reach the woman since the afternoon. When Carabinieri from the Frascati radiomobile section entered the apartment, they found the son present and the woman's body hidden in a closet with a plastic bag tied around her head.

The son's arrest

The 51-year-old son was immediately taken to the Carabinieri barracks for questioning. After a brief interrogation he admitted to killing his mother and was arrested for murder. Family members had previously alerted the Carabinieri because of recurring arguments between the woman and her son, who demanded money to buy drugs. Investigators believe the killing occurred during yet another such dispute. The son had initially told officers he placed the body in the closet the previous evening, claiming his mother had tripped and hit her head.

Investigation underway

The victim's body showed head injuries and facial fractures. A medical examiner and the on-duty substitute prosecutor from the Rome prosecutor's office arrived at the apartment to carry out standard assessments. Carabinieri from Tor Bella Monaca and the Frascati branch, including the investigative unit, are conducting the investigation to determine the exact cause of death and the circumstances that led the body to be placed in the closet. The case has drawn attention in the Tor Bella Monaca district, in the south-eastern quadrant of the capital, on the eve of the Ferragosto holiday.