Italian authorities have arrested a homeless man in connection with the death of a 19-year-old American college student who went missing in Rome last week.
Massimo Galioto, 40, was taken into custody Tuesday under suspicion of aggravated homicide, The Associated Press reported. News of his capture came one day after Beau Solomon’s body was found in Rome’s Tiber River, ending a four-day search.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison student had just arrived in the Italian capital for a study abroad program at John Cabot University when he vanished hours later while visiting a pub with friends, the university has said.
His roommate said the group lost contact with him around 1 a.m. Friday. When Solomon didn’t appear at the morning’s student orientation, he got worried and alerted school officials, the university said.
Solomon’s family, which lives in Spring Green, Wisconsin, told NBC 15 that his credit cards had been used in Milan, about 350 miles from Rome, after he went missing.
According to a preliminary autopsy report obtained by local media and cited by the AP, Solomon suffered injuries consistent with a fall. He also likely spent days in the water.
Two people have also claimed to have seen someone throw a person into the river on the night Solomon went missing, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
John Cabot University announced the tragic news of his death in a statement Monday.
“We express our most heartfelt condolences to the Solomon family and to all those who loved Beau,” their statement read.
Soloman’s family arrived in Italy Monday morning, according to WLS.
This story has been updated to include news of a suspect’s arrest.
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