John Doe

Status:

Open

Recovery Location:

Lipari, Sicily, Italy

Summary:

The "Stranger of Lipari," alternatively known as the Lipari John Doe, was a man of foreign descent found hanged inside an abandoned house on the island of Lipari off the coast of Sicily. The decedent had been dead for two months when discovered. The Stranger of Lipari is still an unsolved case.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Recovery:

On 19 March 2009, a woman was walking her dog near San Nicola in Lipari, Italy, when it suddenly started barking and running towards an abandoned house. She saw through one of the windows a man hanging from a noose in the bathroom. The Carabinieri arrived and determined that the decedent had been dead for two months. During the investigation, the Carabinieri determined that the man was 190 cm tall and was 45-50 years old. He wore a long black coat, a large hat and inappropriate shoes for walking long distances. No identification was found on the man, but authorities recovered an Italian-English dictionary in his coat pocket. His cause of death was ruled as suicide by hanging. The decedent was first spotted in October 2008 when residents began taking note of the man wandering around the island that nobody recognized. During his stay, he wouldn't befriend any residents, and nobody knew where the decedent slept. The decedent frequented an establishment known as "Gilberto e Vera", which was a sandwich shop. He would eat there once daily until 5 November 2008, when the shop closed during the end-of-season period. The man would always sit at the same seat, where he was described as being fragile and having a penetrating glance. The man spoke English, and although he enjoyed talking to the other customers, he was always reserved and wouldn't say much. His last sighting was on 6 January 2009 by a man named Alfredo, who owns a house on the top of Monte Rosa. The man's briefcase was never recovered or found at the scene. As soon as the man saw Alfredo, he got up and left with his briefcase, saying, "Sorry, sorry, sorry…" before heading towards the main gate, with Alfredo retrieving his cellphone and recording him as he left.

Additional Details:

The locals described him as "thin and pale" and had a "wise expression". According to the locals, he appeared to be a broker or someone working in the finance industry. He spoke English fluently as native language. A week before his discovery on 9 March 2009, he was featured on an Italian TV show called Chi l'ha Visto as the Carabinieri were seeking the man's whereabouts. He was buried on the island, and his grave reads, "Stranger. The soul is not unknown to God. Tragically died in Lipari in 2009." The Stranger of Lipari is still an unsolved case. It was not given hardly any media attention; In fact, if you were to google The Stranger of Lipari, you'll likely see only one news outlet from Italy cover the case.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 09, 2026