He was tracked to a Greek island, where – according to investigators – he was probably planning to flee. He is Rexal Ford, a 46-year-old U.S. citizen who was arrested in Skiathos, in the Sporades archipelago. The man is charged with the murder of an infant girl and the concealment of the body of a woman, presumably his partner, found six days ago in Villa Pamphili, one of Rome’s busiest parks.
The woman was found naked, enclosed in a sack, hidden under a hedge. Ford’s behavior is described by investigators as “incomprehensible”: he had been seen several times in the company of the woman and the child, as also confirmed by video surveillance images, but he then left the country abandoning them, never alerting help.
The motive for the murder of the little girl, who allegedly died the day before she was found, remains to be clarified. During a checkup in the days before, Ford allegedly claimed to be the father of the newborn girl–a claim that will now be subject to verification by investigators, since at the moment “there is no scientific evidence to be certain of the parental relationship.”
Among the sticking points in the investigation — described by prosecutors as “extremely complex” — are the stages of the man’s escape abroad. Ford had left Fiumicino airport on June 11 on a scheduled flight. It cannot be ruled out that he was also planning to leave the Greek island to permanently erase his tracks.
What initially appeared to be the story of a man on the fringes of society is turning out to be far more complex. Investigators are now reconstructing his movements, partly through analysis of transactions made with his Mastercard and phone cards used during his escape. He had been traveling around Europe for about two years. It is not yet clear how long the woman and the child had been with him or in what context they met.
Greek authorities have ordered his extradition under an expedited procedure: transfer to Italy will take about 20-25 days.
A decisive report came from a citizen who, after recognizing the man in the released images, told the media that he witnessed a violent fight: “It was a terrible scene. The man was clearly in an altered state and was yanking the woman, who was holding a baby girl.”
The investigation, which is still ongoing, aims to clarify not only the identity of the woman and the little girl, but also the circumstances of their deaths. Initial findings date the trio’s presence in Italy to April, but there are no official records of their entry into the country.
According to testimonies collected by police in recent days, the three allegedly used the services of Caritas. In fact, the man’s name was reportedly noted during one of the visits, and resurfaced during identification after the reported argument. Some merchants in the St. Peter’s area reported that, in the week before the bodies were found, the three frequently ate at tables in the San Silverio market and washed in the facility’s public restrooms.
“He was a violent person,” said one witness. “A month ago he attacked a child who was playing and had unintentionally disturbed him.”
