Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi, born on November 29, 1970, in Rome, was the eldest daughter of Italian singer Al Bano and American artist Romina Power. Growing up in the constant glare of the media, she came from a prominent family, with Hollywood stars Tyrone Power and Linda Christian as her grandparents. Despite her early exposure to singing and acting alongside her family, Ylenia was highly ambitious and did not wish to build a career in show business. She was an intelligent and empathetic young woman who studied literature at King's College in London, consistently achieving top grades, and dreamed of becoming a novelist. Possessing a deep social consciousness, she was particularly fascinated by the lives of marginalized individuals, such as the homeless and street musicians.In July 1993, during a family vacation to New Orleans, Ylenia met Alexander Masakela, a much older street musician who left a profound impression on her. She referred to him in her journals as a "master" or "guru," captivated by his carefree, unconventional lifestyle. Her father, Al Bano, strongly disapproved of Masakela, suspecting him of drug use and viewing him as a dangerous influence. Because of this conflict, Ylenia chose to fund her own travels by selling her personal belongings, refusing her father's financial assistance. She decided to take a gap year from her studies to travel the world and write a book documenting the lives of street musicians. After spending several months exploring Belize, she returned to New Orleans in late December 1993 to reunite with Masakela.Ylenia and Masakela shared a room at the LeDale Hotel in New Orleans. Her final contact with her parents was a phone call on January 1, 1994, during which she sounded unusually distracted. She was last seen on January 6, 1994, leaving the hotel without her personal belongings, which included her passport and handwritten journals. Days later, Masakela checked out of the hotel and took her backpack with him. Although he was interrogated multiple times, police could not extract any concrete information from him. Her parents officially reported her missing on January 18, 1994.Three primary theories attempt to explain her disappearance. The first suggests foul play involving Masakela. Given his alleged history of mistreating women, some people, including Ylenia's mother Romina, believed he might be responsible for her vanishing, though he was never charged.The second theory, firmly believed by her father Al Bano, involves a tragic drowning. A night watchman named Albert reported seeing a young blonde woman sitting on a pier over the Mississippi River on the night of January 6. When he approached her, she allegedly stated, "I belong to the water anyway," and jumped into the river. Al Bano accepted this account as the truth because Ylenia used to repeat that exact phrase when she was a child. In December 2014, at Al Bano's request, Ylenia was legally declared dead.The third, more optimistic theory proposes that Ylenia intentionally disappeared to escape the pressures of fame and live a quiet life on her own terms. Over the years, there have been several unverified sightings, including a 2011 claim by a police chief that she was living in a convent in Arizona, and a photograph taken by a reporter in Venice in 2000 featuring a woman closely resembling her. Despite these varied theories, the exact circumstances of Ylenia Carrisi's disappearance remain a mystery. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-pieces--6886558/support.
