Body of teacher Chiara Guerra found in Venice canal after nephew's confession

Discovery after three-day search

Firefighters recovered the body of Chiara Guerra from the Malgher canal in San Stino di Livenza on the morning of June 16, the third consecutive day of searches. The discovery followed intensive efforts involving divers, rubber boats, drones, and the helicopter Drago. The canal, which runs about 15 kilometers from Motta di Livenza to the Adriatic Sea near Caorle, had been the focus since the 17-year-old confessed to disposing the body there on Saturday night. Firefighter Cirnelli explained the difficulty:

Generally a body thrown in water first sinks and then reemerges when decomposition begins. But here the problem is that he closed it in a sack, so the behavior is different.

The recovery operation was still underway as of the morning.

Timeline of the tragedy

1. Jun 11, 2026Chiara Guerra is killed by her nephew during a dispute at their shared property.
2. Jun 13, 2026After 10 hours of interrogation, the nephew confesses to the murder and reveals the body location.
3. Jun 14, 2026Firefighters begin searching the Malgher canal with divers, rubber boats, and drones.
4. Jun 15, 2026Search continues with helicopter Drago and additional resources; body not found.
5. Jun 16, 2026Body of Chiara Guerra is found by firefighters' divers in the Malgher canal.

The confession

The teenager initially denied any involvement during 10 hours of questioning, but eventually admitted to the killing after investigators confronted him with evidence that he was the last person to see his aunt alive. He told investigators that he went to his aunt's house, they argued, and then he stabbed her with a kitchen knife in the woodshed. Afterwards, he placed the body in a sack, loaded it onto a wheelbarrow, and pushed it through the streets in broad daylight to the canal, where he dumped both the body and the weapon. Surveillance cameras reportedly captured him transporting the wheelbarrow covered with a cloth. Pietro Montrone, the Pordenone prosecutor, said:

The investigative breakthrough came when serious pre-existing family disputes between the victim and the brother's family emerged. From that moment, attention focused on the minor, who, after many hours of interrogation, confessed to the murder on Saturday night.

He also stressed that at present no third parties are suspected, but only the body's recovery will definitively confirm the boy's account.

Inheritance as a motive

The dispute centered on a 5,000-square-meter farm and a farmhouse built by the teenager's great-grandparents. Chiara Guerra lived alone in the large family home, while her brother, his wife, and their two children lived in an adjacent villa. The two siblings, both teachers, had clashed over management of the property, and the nephew sided firmly with his father. Friends recalled that Chiara had spoken of these tensions. Investigators found scratches on the boy's arms and face, consistent with defensive wounds, suggesting a violent struggle before the fatal stabbing. The exact spark that led to the attack remains unclear, but the property dispute had simmered for some time.

Legal proceedings

Following the confession, the case was transferred from the Pordenone prosecutor's office to the juvenile prosecutor in Trieste. The 17-year-old was placed in a juvenile community in the province of Treviso. He faces charges of voluntary manslaughter aggravated and concealment of a corpse. His parents have been questioned only as witnesses, and authorities have ruled out any involvement by third parties so far. The Pordenone office maintains the original missing-person investigation open until the body is formally identified.

Community mourns

Outside Chiara Guerra's home, friends, former students, and acquaintances have left flowers and messages of condolence. The school where she taught Italian, history, and geography organized a prayer gathering, and the municipality set up a listening center and psychological support for pupils.