Ylenia Carrisi // 466

Summary

Episode 466: Ylenia Carrisi
Going West: True Crime
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman (Teeth)
Produced by: Dark West Productions

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Introduction and Network Announcement

In this episode, Daphne and Teeth begin by sharing exciting news about their podcast joining the Unwell Network. They express enthusiasm about the collaboration and assure listeners that the show's format and schedule will remain unchanged. Daphne mentions, “Going west is officially Unwell” (01:02) and invites listeners to follow their social media for additional content related to the case.

Background on Ylenia Carrisi

The episode delves into the mysterious disappearance of 23-year-old Italian actress Alenya (Ylenia) Carrisi. Ylenia vanished in January 1994 while exploring New Orleans with the intention of writing a novel. Her disappearance remains unsolved, marked by suspicious circumstances and eerie connections to local figures and practices.

Family Lineage and Early Life

Ylenia hailed from a prominent entertainment family. Her parents, Romina Power and Albano Carrisi, were a beloved singing duo often compared to Sonny and Cher. Daphne notes, “They were especially beloved in Europe and Central America and even came to be known as the Sonny and Cher of Italy” (06:09). Ylenia's grandmother, Linda Christian, was the first Bond girl, adding to the family's illustrious background. Raised amidst show business, Ylenia led a cultured and nomadic childhood, frequently traveling between Italy, the United States, and Mexico.

Educational Pursuits and Personal Aspirations

After high school, Ylenia pursued higher education at the University of London, studying literature with outstanding academic performance. Despite her academic success, she yearned for real-life experiences, leading her to sell her belongings and embark on a solo journey in 1993. Daphne highlights Ylenia's independence, stating, “she always preferred to have her own money and to pay her own way” (07:16).

Arrival in New Orleans and Influences

Ylenia first visited New Orleans during a family holiday and was captivated by the city's vibrant artistic community and its darker undercurrents. She maintained detailed notes on the people she met, including musicians and street performers. A significant figure in her story is Alexander Masakela, a 54-year-old street musician whom Ylenia became fascinated with, despite concerns from her mother about his potentially malevolent influence. Daphne mentions, “She would camp out in Jackson Square... but she was also aware of the darker side of the city” (07:05).

The Mysterious Alexander Masakela

Alexander Masakela, described by both Ylenia and her mother as someone with hypnotic influence and rumored voodoo practices, became a central figure in Ylenia's life. Daphne notes, “she believed Alexander was trained in voodoo and mused that he had cast a spell on her” (12:38). Alexander's unsettling history, including accusations of sexual violence and drug use, raises suspicions about his role in Ylenia's disappearance.

Final Days and Disappearance

On January 1, 1994, Ylenia checked into the Ladale Hotel in New Orleans, sharing a room with Alexander. Her parents last heard from her on this day, observing a change in her demeanor: “she walked with her head down, her hair in front of her face, and she only spoke when spoken to” (17:37). On January 6, 1994, she checked out of the hotel and was last seen. Cindy Dale, the hotel owner, reported that Ylenia had left abruptly, leaving behind personal belongings and uncashed traveler's checks.

Investigation and Suspicious Activities

Investigators discovered that Alexander attempted to cash Ylenia's unsigned traveler's checks, contradicting his claims of innocence. Teeth remarks, “he accused her employees of stealing the checks which had ultimately been stolen from Alenya” (20:26). This behavior further implicates Alexander as a person of interest in Ylenia's disappearance. Despite these red flags, authorities struggled to gather concrete evidence linking him directly to the case.

Possible Sightings and Theories

Two significant sightings emerged after Ylenia's disappearance:

1. Potential Drowning Incident:
   On the night of January 6, 1994, security guard Albert Cordova reported seeing a woman resembling Ylenia jump into the Mississippi River and drown. However, Cordova later expressed doubts about the identification: “Based on the photographs the police showed me, I'd say it wasn't her, but it could have been” (29:38).

2. Encounter with an Italian-speaking Woman:
   A Croatian fisherman claimed to have seen a beautiful woman speaking fluent Italian, whom he identified as Ylenia after recognizing her photos (33:02). Daphne and Teeth express skepticism about both sightings, noting the lack of definitive evidence.

Police Response and Family Efforts

The New Orleans Police Department treated Ylenia's disappearance as a missing persons case, primarily due to the absence of a crime scene. Her parents enlisted the help of a psychic and offered a substantial reward for information, which remained unclaimed. Albano Carrisi, Ylenia's father, implored the FBI to take over the case, but cooperation was minimal. As Daphne states, “the New Orleans Police Department... seemed to be leaning towards closing the case because there was just no evidence of a crime” (33:56).

Continued Search and Legal Proceedings

Despite relentless searching efforts by her family and the community, no substantial leads surfaced. In 2013, nineteen years after her disappearance, Albano filed to have Ylenia declared legally dead. The case remains open with no definitive closure:

• Physical Description:
  Ylenia was last seen wearing a white jacket and a floral print dress, standing 5ft 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes.

• Final Call to Action:
  The hosts urge listeners to provide any information to the New Orleans Police Department, emphasizing the ongoing mystery and the family's enduring hope for answers.

Conclusion and Reflections

Daphne and Teeth reflect on the haunting nature of Ylenia's case, highlighting the lack of closure and the eerie circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Daphne muses, “I feel it will have a happy ending and soon, I hope” (35:40), underscoring the enduring hope that Ylenia may still be found. The episode concludes with a heartfelt plea for listeners to share the story, keeping Ylenia's memory alive in the collective consciousness.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Teeth (01:02): "Going west is officially Unwell."
• Daphne (06:09): "They were especially beloved in Europe and Central America and even came to be known as the Sonny and Cher of Italy."
• Teeth (20:26): "He accused her employees of stealing the checks which had ultimately been stolen from Alenya."
• Daphne (29:38): "I have a hard time believing it was her. If even he is saying he really didn't think so."
• Daphne (35:40): "I feel it will have a happy ending and soon, I hope."

Final Thoughts

This episode of Going West: True Crime meticulously unpacks the perplexing disappearance of Ylenia Carrisi, interweaving family history, personal aspirations, and the enigmatic presence of Alexander Masakela. Daphne and Teeth provide a comprehensive overview, enriched with personal insights and critical analysis, making it a compelling listen for true crime enthusiasts and those intrigued by unresolved mysteries.

If you have any information about Ylenia Carrisi's disappearance, please contact the New Orleans Police Department at 504-658-5315.

For more details and photos related to the case, follow Going West on Instagram @goingwestpodcast and Facebook.

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Thank you for tuning into Going West: True Crime. Join us next Tuesday and Friday for more haunting and intriguing true crime stories.

Transcript

[Teeth]

Foreign. What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host, Teeth.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Teeth]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello, everybody. Hope you're having a great day. Today is a very exciting day. We have some very exciting news. Keith and I, Going west, are officially a part of the Unwell Network. We are so excited. Unwell is amazing. They have some seriously great shows that I'm sure a lot of you are already listening to.

[Teeth]

We are absolutely pumped to join this network of just so many different creatives, so many awesome people. It is going to be a blast and we're so excited for you guys.

[Daphne]

And for us, the show is still going to stay the same. We're still going to come out with episodes every Tuesday and Friday covering the same types of cases that we always do. But now we have this incredible team behind us. So Going west is here to stay.

[Teeth]

Going west is officially Unwell.

[Daphne]

Yes, we are. Big thank you for today's case to Michelle for recommending it. This story is so spooky. It's very suspicious. It's very unsettling. Takes place in beautiful, haunting New Orleans. So make sure that you share this one.

[Teeth]

Yes. And go check out our socials for photos of this case. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast and we're also on Facebook.

[Daphne]

Indeed. So without further ado.

[Teeth]

All right, guys, this is episode 456 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In January of 1994, a 23 year old Italian actress was in New Orleans, exploring the city, ready to write a novel. But shortly after arriving, she mysteriously vanished without a trace after leaving her hotel. And suspiciously, in the days leading up to her disappearance, she had been staying with a much older man there, one whom she was reportedly afraid of, who she wrote in her diary, had practiced voodoo. This is the story of Alenya Carisi. Elena Carisi was born on November 29, 1970 in Rome, Italy, as the first child born to singing duo Romina Power and Albano Carisi. But he is better known professionally just as Albano. So coming from a show business family, she enjoyed a very unique and nomadic upbringing. And I actually want to talk about her parents and her grandpar really quick because they have an interesting story in the entertainment business and it just kind of gives us a better idea of who Alenya was and what her inspirations were. So Elena's mom, Romina was born into stardom in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Mexican American actress Linda Christian and renowned actor Tyrone Power. Linda Christian. So Elena's grandmother was actually the first ever Bond girl and Tyrone rose to prominence for his roles in action films like Jesse James and the Mark of Zorro. Ylenia's mother, Romina, was raised between Los Angeles, Mexico and boarding schools in Europe before settling in Rome with her mother after her father's passing at just 44 years old. And it was there that she began to follow in her own parents footsteps and began auditioning for roles in Italian cinema as she had become a fluent speaker from a young age. By the time she was 18, she had starred in about a dozen Italian films. Remember, this is Romina, Elena's mother. So she was really motivated and she pushed herself to find success in acting. At 15, she was already engaged to a Polish prince eight years her senior. But the couple eventually broke off the engagement and it was on set that she met her future husband, Albano Carisi, who also happened to be eight years older than she was. After starring in multiple films together, the two married on July 26, 1970 when Romina was 19 years old. And four months later, they welcomed Ylenia. Over the next 17 years, they had three more children, Ylenia's younger brother Jari and two younger sisters named Kristel and Romina. Like her mother, Alenya had a cultured and eccentric childhood marked with travel and artistic ventures. And it was while Elena was still a young girl and Romina was only in her twenties that Romina and Albano's singing duo really started taking off. They were especially beloved in Europe and Central America and even came to be known as the Sonny and Cher of Italy. So to kind of give you like a comparison, they were kind of like Sonny and Cher.

[Teeth]

Yeah, they were a power, power singing duo.

[Daphne]

Exactly, a married power singing duo. So in 1976 they entered the Eurovision Songwriting Contest. I know a lot of us know what that is. On behalf of course, of Italy. And they took seventh place, which was pretty good considering 18 countries in total competed. The family traveled all over the world together for Romina and Albano's music. But Alenya was primarily raised between Italy, the United States, States and Mexico. So very similar to her mother. Like her parents, Elenia had a flair for the dramatic and was featured in a few films as a child, including Champagne and Paradiso, starring alongside her parents who portrayed the leading couple. So they, they did a lot of things together as a family. They were all super involved in entertainment and each other's lives, traveling the world. They, they had a lot of fun.

[Teeth]

Now after completing high school, Alenya worked as the letter Turner on Lu Ruota. Oh my God, I knew I was gonna mess this up. La ruota della fortuna.

[Daphne]

Nice.

[Teeth]

Which is the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune.

[Daphne]

And there's a bunch of photos of her on the show that we will post. She was a gorgeous blonde with curly hair. She had an amazing smile.

[Teeth]

Yeah, I mean, she definitely fit in for that role and I just think the industry in general. But despite her good looks, she was very charming and soft spoken, but also very intelligent and introspective. Like for example, she was asked on one broadcast how she felt about the attention that she had got throughout her life and she quoted Gandhi in response. And even though she wanted to remain in the entertainment industry, she also had literary goals. So YA was accepted to and enrolled in the University of London where she studied literature and received the highest grades in her year. But while she was there, she couldn't shake her desire to continue to explore the world. Like, she loved learning in a classroom, but she also wanted to have more of a real life experience. Her parents acknowledged that she was an experienced and skilled traveler, but as she shared her interest in traveling outside of England by herself at the age of 22, her parents were a bit worried about her going out there by herself, but still really wanting to get out there into the world on her own. In 1993, she left London bound for her native Italy, where she sold off most of her belongings to fund her trip. And though her family was affluent, a former friend remembered that Ynya always preferred to have her own money and to pay her own way. She was very independent and very self sufficient that way. Now, before heading off on her solo adventure, she first joined her family for a holiday in the United States state in beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana. Now Yanya was charmed and enchanted by the energy of the city. It's naturally just such a great place for artists like herself and she loved the free spirits that it attracted and it just really inspired her. Like during the trip, she told her parents that she wanted to write a book about the characters she met there. You know, musicians, street buskers, fortune tellers, as well as some of the more seedy underbelly that she saw in New Orleans. When her parents returned to Italy after their vacation, Yenia headed to Florida, taking with her only a backpack and a notebook. She then stopped in Mexico before finally settling in Belize, just over the Mexican border. She spent a few months there in the small coastal town of Hopkins, where she turned 23. But the allure of New Orleans was really strong and she set her sights on returning to complete the research for her book. The day after Christmas in 1993, she boarded a bus bound for New Orleans, traveling up through Mexico. And unbeknownst to Alenya, her brother Yari, who was a bit saddened at the thought of her spending the holidays alone, actually arrived in Hopkins, in Belize, the day after she departed, because he actually didn't even know that she left. Now, not knowing where she was staying or where she was, he circled the town, knocking on doors, since Hopkins is, you know, a small coastal village, and asked passersby if they knew her or had seen her. But by the time he had pinned down her whereabouts, it was too late, and she was already headed to New Orleans.

[Daphne]

Yeah, she kind of just went there without telling anybody. She did tell people when she arrived there, because she was super close with her family, and everybody knew where she was and what she was doing, especially because, you know, she was alone. Now, in her previous visit to New Orleans with her family that past summer, Ya had surrounded herself with local artists, musicians, and drifters. And she loved hearing the stories of people who lived on the fringes of society. This is what really interested her. And she kept very detailed notes of the people that she met, asking them for their life stories and writing notes down with genuine intrigue. She would camp out in Jackson Square, which is the iconic and historic park located right there in the French Quarter. But she was also aware of the darker side of the city. You know, every city has a darker side, and had even admitted as much to her parents. But here's the thing. When she left New Orleans that previous summer, she actually admitted to her parents that she was afraid of two men in particular there, that they were trying to kill her, and that drugs were involved. She also told her mother, Romina, about her fascination with a musician named Alexander, and that she couldn't keep herself away from him. Alexander Masakela was a street performer who played the cornet, which is a brass instrument that is slightly shorter and wider than a trumpet. When Alenya returned to New Orleans, she was just 23 years old, as we know, to Alexander's 54 years, which is actually older than both of her parents were at the time. She met him in the summer of 1993 after staying behind following her family vacation, and described being entranced by him around New Orleans. He was known for his charm and his influence with women, which is really interesting to me, because, like, he has a super long white beard. He looks older than he was even at the time, at least in my opinion. I Mean, no judge. Well, actually I'm going to judge.

[Teeth]

Slightly judge.

[Daphne]

Yeah, slightly judge.

[Teeth]

Because he is kind of a piece of shit.

[Daphne]

Yeah, so true. As we're going to get into. But I will post a photo on our socials so you guys can see.

[Teeth]

Yeah, but I agree with you. He does not look 50. He looks like 70.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that's so true. He really does. And also her mom, Romina was just as confused as we are calling it a strange, mysterious, mysterious attraction. But she said that he had ya hypnotized. Romina later remembered in her diaries. I found notes of her mentioning his name and him saying remember me, remember my name repeatedly to her and she couldn't get him out of her mind. Ya even wrote that she believed Alexander was trained in voodoo and mused that he had cast a spell on her. In one entry she described him as magic and said that he had annulled her will.

[Teeth]

So yeah, it's kind of interesting that she's saying these things given, you know, what most of us know about New Orleans, that it has kind of like this magical feeling to it, you know?

[Daphne]

Yeah. I mean, especially with all the voodoo. And we know that he has spent so much time here and just what everybody said about how he entranced women and entranced Elena. And I could definitely understand her fascination in him not even having met him. I, you know, he's a musician. She's fascinated by these types of characters. He's a little bit older, so he has a lot of experience, probably has a lot of really interesting stories. But it's so spooky to me that she wrote this, that she thinks that he's magic, that he is trained in voodoo, that he cast a spell on her. Especially with what's to come. I just find it a little eerie, a little spooky.

[Teeth]

Yeah, it's nothing short of strange. Now, when ya left to travel to Florida after leaving New Orleans in the late summer of 1993, she told her parents that she needed to get away from the city because her life was at stake though, whether she meant from Alexander specifically or just from the city of New Orleans and its inhabitants. You know, she didn't really specify here. Romina didn't press her daughter on the issue either because she didn't think that Yenia would return to New Orleans and that everything would be fine.

[Daphne]

But it is really. I mean, this is super foreshadowing obviously, but the fact that she's saying that she needed to get away from the city she was afraid from for her life. She also previously told her mom that two men were trying to kill her. Now we have this other character, Alexander, thrown into the mix, who is apparently trained in voodoo. Like, it seemed like she kind of encountered a lot of dark things and people the first time that she was there.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And this is exactly why Romina was shocked to learn that Yenya had gone back to New Orleans in December of 1993 after leaving so abruptly and after feeling threatened. But Yenya assured her that she was fine. Romina confirmed that her daughter had enough money, and Ylenia confirmed that she had plenty of traveler's checks so she'd be good during the remainder of her travels as she finished up her research for her book. Romina and Albano last spoke with their daughter on New Year's Day, January 1, 1994, and claimed that she didn't seem fearful or vulnerable. The only thing she mentioned that was even slightly unusual was that she was moving to a different hotel, though she didn't explain why. But we do know which hotel she did migrate to. That day. She moved herself and her belongings into the Ladale Hotel, which is a budget hotel located at 749St. Charles Avenue, just blocks from the bustling tourist area of the French Quarter. And this hotel was located in the warehouse district. Now, that hotel is just an empty lot, but at the time, it was a popular boarding house for the city's artists and musicians, known for its low cost, which ran its guests only about $20 a night. So Ylenia checked in on New Year's Day, the last day her parents spoke to her. But she was not alone. She was sharing a room with Alexander Masakela. The New Orleans Police Department admitted that Alexander had a history of sexual violence against women as well as drug use. And Cindy Dale, who was the owner of the Ladale Hotel, later remembered he didn't seem clean. He dressed in jeans and maybe the same shirt for two or three days. He smelled. It was just odd that they were together because he's about 60 years old and she's this real pretty 23 year old girl. I mean, she walked with her head down, her hair in front of her face, and she only spoke when spoken to. But the strange thing about this is that her parents later said that this description of their daughter confused and scared them because this did not sound like the ya that they knew.

[Daphne]

Well, after their discussion on the phone on New Year's Day, her parents, who were used to hearing from her at least once a week. Like I said, she did keep them frequently updated on her travels, began to worry when she was not checking in. The days continued to pass with no word from her and they were unable to reach her. So their concerns just multiplied. Romina and Albano checked in with a family friend of theirs who lived in New Orleans. But even this local couldn't track her down. Thus, Alenya's family friend reported her missing on January 18, 1994. So, 17 days after her parents had last spoken to her and after she checked into the Ladale Hotel with Alexander. But she had last been seen by others five days after that day. Five days after the first, on January 6, 1994, when New Orleans police arrived to speak with Cindy Dale, she informed them that Alenya had checked out of the Lidale hotel on Thursday, January 6, just after noon, like she had just walked out of the lobby and vanished. Her parents rushed to the city to aid in the search efforts, setting up their headquarters in a hotel only a few blocks away from where she went missing. According to Cindy. Again, she's the owner of this hotel, Ya was there for almost a week and kept the same schedule every single day, leaving at the same time each morning and returning around 6pm But Cindy said that it was not clear where she was going or what she was doing during the day. The last confirmed sighting of her was between 12:30 and 1:30pm on January 6, when she checked out of the Liddale Hotel. However, Alexander remained in the room during this time. So she would leave for most of the daylight hours every single day, almost like she was going to work. And Alexander just stayed in the hotel the whole time. And Cindy remembered this distinctly because she was eventually forced to kick him out of the hotel. And suspiciously, in the days after Ylenia's departure from the hotel, Alexander was attempting to cash her unsigned traveler's checks. Now, Cindy, who had already been suspicious of this guy, said, I was told that he was a street musician. Where is this man getting fifty and hundred dollar bills of travelers checks? Well, we certainly know, of course, that Alenya had traveler's checks because this is what she told her parents she was using during this trip.

[Teeth]

Exactly. Well, out of retaliation for her suspicion, he accused her employees of stealing the checks which had ultimately been stolen from Alenya in the first place. He then attempted to pay his unsettled bill with her traveler's checks. So he's not even sticking to his story because here he is using those checks. Cindy kicked him out of the hotel on January 14th. So, eight days after Ylenia was last seen, though she did agree to hold onto some items that he had in his room. And then two weeks later, police reported to the hotel to inquire about Alenya's disappearance. And Cindy allowed police to sift through the items being stored in the basement of the hotel. Well, Cindy explained, I took them down into our storage, and they opened up the bags, and sure enough, I recognized that they were clothes that she wore and her books and her paints. In addition to Ylenia's books, clothing, and art supplies, Yenya had also left her passport, backpack, camera, and all of her luggage behind, as well as $2,500 in uncashed traveler's checks, which she obviously would have never done willingly.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I mean, that was everything she had with her.

[Teeth]

So this definitely was a startling realization, to say the least. Because if Yenia was planning on continuing her research and her lifestyle as a roaming artist, she would have needed, like, at least a good number of these items. Desperate for any information that would point them in the right direction, her parents even sought the help of a psychic and set out to speak with others who knew Alexander. But he proclaimed his innocence from the start and was very little help to the investigation. Positioning himself as an innocent bystander in the international frenzy of Yenya's disappearance, he told the press, all of a sudden, I'm the Simon Legree in all of this, and it's not justified. So he's basically referencing the villain in Uncle Tom's Cabin, inferring that the cause of his criminal prosecution was undue racism because he was a black man.

[Daphne]

Well, he also attempted to kind of distance himself from ya and, like, whatever relationship the two shared, because he told the New Orleans Police Department that he and Elena were not romantically involved. And he even added that Elena refused to sleep with him and that she had requested two beds upon check in. Also, if she's refusing to sleep with you, that means you're probably trying to sleep with her.

[Teeth]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

So I think that actually ends up.

[Teeth]

Making him look worse. Yeah.

[Daphne]

Like, telling us a little bit more about that. Like, how would you know that she didn't want to sleep with you if you hadn't tried to sleep with her?

[Teeth]

Right.

[Daphne]

And also, he said that she saw him as a guru and not a sexual or romantic partner. But it's like, okay, and how did you see her?

[Teeth]

Yeah, exactly. How did you see her?

[Daphne]

Well, when police questioned him about Yena's whereabouts, he claimed that he didn't know where she was, but that he knew she was okay.

[Teeth]

Okay, how do you know that?

[Daphne]

Yeah. And he didn't explain how he knew that she was okay. Much to Alexander's dismay, investigators were able to hold him on an unrelated charge in hopes of gleaning more information about him. Because shortly before Elena's disappearance, an ex girlfriend of Alexander's alleged that he had raped her. So for this he was arrested and held on a fifty thousand dollar bond. So that is really disturbing that that happened right before she went missing. Police already said that they knew he was a sexually violent man. This is just not looking good. Romina and Albano remained convinced that their daughter was being held captive in the city somewhere and that maybe drugs or trafficking were involved. Romina said, she is somewhere in this city. I'm positive. I just have this feeling. I can't explain why. I just have a feeling. The secret is with this Alexander, if he were to only confess in a telephone interview that Alexander granted with the local press during his time behind bars, he explained that this was a bogus charge, the, you know, the rape charge. Adding, after cooperating with them and even meeting the father, I decided the whole thing had become crazier and crazier and made myself unavailable to them. And so I guess they wanted to keep their hands on me. He continued on to say that the rape charge was far beyond my nature. And unfortunately the charges were later dropped. Alexander was released and was never officially connected to Elenia's disappearance.

[Teeth]

For weeks, Ylania's parents and her brother Yari combed the streets and they put up missing posters asking around for her and injecting themselves into the social circles that they believed she would run in. Yari said, where could she be in a city like this? There's lots of little pathways, lots of doorways, lots of cars going in and out of the city. She could be stuck in a cellar, she could be in a wonderful place. The New Orleans Police Department were pretty quick to say that they had no sign or indication that the disappearance was the result of foul play. But that was only because there was no crime scene. I mean, she just vanished. And then they declined to state that they had no evidence to the contrary either, meaning that they had absolutely nothing. Her father Albano begged the FBI to get involved, and though they initially declined, they eventually joined forces with the police. An anonymous donor in Italy actually pledged $500,000 for information, making a massive reward here for any information leading to her whereabouts. But that reward went unclaimed. When asked if he had a message for his daughter, Albano said, she knows the message now. There is one possible sighting on the last day that Ylenia was seen And I want to give you guys the details because it is a little bit strange. I don't know how much stock I put into it. But basically, on the evening of Thursday, January 6, 1994. So the same day that she was last seen publicly checking out of the Ladale Hotel, a possible sighting of her was reported. Now, a security guard named Albert Cordova claimed that he believed that he had seen Alenya, or a woman who looked like her enter the Mississippi river that night and that she had never resurfaced. Around 11:30pm Albert, who worked as a security guard for what is now the aquarium that's situated along the river, spotted a woman perched along the water. When he approached her, she allegedly said to him, I belong in the water, or I belong in the water anyway, and then leapt from the banks into the river. Though he apparently pleaded with her to come back to the shore, she ignored him as he watched her backstroke towards the center of the river, about a hundred yards out. But he says that she struggled against the pressure of the current as well as the wake of a passing boat and began to panic and scream. Albert said that she emerged from beneath the waves once or twice before getting pulled down and that she did not re emerge. By Albert's recollection, it was clear that she was a very strong swimmer. This wasn't a suicide. I thought, oh, she's just playing with us. All of a sudden, she started screaming for help. Then she went down once, twice, and after the third time, she didn't come back up. He immediately reported the incident to the Coast Guard, but they were never able to recover a body. The vicinity of where the woman entered the river was searched, as well as a 90 mile or 144 kilometer stretch of the Mississippi reaching almost all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. But despite their efforts, there was no sign of her. Though it's possible that her body was swept out to the sea with the strong current. It wasn't until weeks later that he learned of Alenya's disappearance and connected her to the young woman that he had seen that night. However, it was a winter night on the water, and Albert admitted that he couldn't be sure that the woman he had seen was Ylenia. Saying, based on the photographs the police showed me, I'd say it wasn't her, but it could have been. I don't know for sure. It was dark.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I don't know. I have a hard time believing it was her. If even he is saying he really didn't think so. Like, we've heard so many cases where sightings were believed to have been made, and then it. It turns out that when they were made, the victim was already dead and nobody knew it yet. So I don't know. I always have a hard time really believing sightings unless there is, like, video evidence of the person or if the person who is witnessing them actually knew the victim. Like, it's definitely a weird thing for this guy to allegedly see, but who knows?

[Teeth]

I mean, yeah, at the very least, this guy just watched a woman drown, whether it was Alenya or not. Very weird thing to witness.

[Daphne]

It's just weird that they didn't find a body, which I'm going to get into in a second. I do want to say, in the Mississippi in general, there are known to sometimes be bull sharks, which, as many of us know, are incredibly vicious sharks. And. And then there's also, like, alligators, but it's not like those two predators are known to, like, really frequent this part of the river, but there are still predators in the river. But, like, after hearing this report, the Coast Guard and the New Orleans Police Department spent a day and a half dragging the river, but they found no sign of Alenya or her belongings or anybody else. A spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department, a guy named Sam Fridella, said, that's a mean current and undertow. We haven't found a body, and we're continuing to treat it as a missing persons investigation, in part because the security guard gave us a tentative identification. So we can't be sure beyond a doubt that it was Ms. Carisi. Albert's story was never substantiated. Like, there was never any known proof that this happened to anybody. And the woman who jumped into the river supposedly was never confirmed to be Elena or anybody else. Both of Ylenia's parents maintained that she was not suicidal and that she was a strong swimmer, but that she had seemed afraid of the Mississippi when they visited together. Like, she didn't show any interest in swimming in it or being near it, particularly at all. But Romina disputed this sighting from the beginning anyway, saying that she had a feeling that the woman in the river, or the supposed woman in the river that night was not Yenya. The day after this potential drowning, there was another strange sighting of a young woman who happened to speak Italian. Basically, a fisherman visiting New Orleans from Croatia made a comment about Alenya's or a different woman's ethereal beauty, and this woman responded in fluent Italian. Romina explained he bumped into the girl in the street and turned around and looked at her really close. When he saw photographs of Ylenia in the paper, he identified her as the same girl. And I mean, this isn't too strange. Like, it's not like you saw anything bad happening. This guy's basically saying, oh, yeah, the day after anybody else saw her, I saw her in New Orleans and I thought she was really pretty. So, yeah, I don't know. That's not really too strange. If it was her, it definitely could have happened the day after she was last seen, and then something happened to her after that. Or maybe this woman was not her. I think Albert's sightings, saying, oh, yeah, I saw this woman go into the river and drown.

[Teeth]

Right?

[Daphne]

That's like, oh, shit, maybe we should look into that. But this is like, I saw a woman that looked like her and I thought she was pretty.

[Teeth]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's a little less far fetched. It's like, okay, I saw a girl who speaks fluent Italian. Looked like Alenya.

[Daphne]

Yeah, exactly.

[Teeth]

Okay.

[Daphne]

Okay. And obviously it is important to the timeline to know if this was her or not, because if it was her, then we would know that she was alive and in New Orleans on the 7th. But, you know, this guy also didn't know her, so was it her? Was it not her?

[Teeth]

To be honest, I really don't think that it was her. I mean, it could have been, but I just don't think so. Well, the Italian consulate in New Orleans was also involved in the search, but seemed to back off the case after the news of the young woman who drowned came out, letting the locals deal with the matter. But sadly, the New Orleans Police Department also seemed to be leaning towards closing the case because there was just no evidence of a crime.

[Daphne]

And I wonder if they looked at her and knew that she wasn't from there anyway. They knew that she was a traveler, and maybe they just assumed that since there was no crime scene, that she must be out there somehow, which really is a shame, knowing how close she was with her family and how much she kept her loved ones in the loop of her travels, and the fact that she had left everything in her hotel room. The. The person that she was staying with at the time was a known sexual predator who was way older than her. And she had previously told her mom that she was afraid of that very man, that. That he had this weird power over her. And there were these other two guys that apparently were out to kill her. This is all just so weird, and. And it doesn't feel like they're taking it very seriously. Based on what we know, yeah.

[Teeth]

I mean, honestly, it's super disappointing because they really just kind of gave up here. Like, even Fabrizio Mazza, the Italian Consul General in New Orleans, told the press, it's all over. Apparently. He added that Romina and Albano were just about the only two people who were keeping up hope that Yenya was still alive, hoping that they could still find her. But eventually, her parents were forced to leave New Orleans empty handed. They even took the year off of touring and performing to be available to search for her. But it didn't help lead them back to Alanya. In 1996, over a year after Alanya vanished, an anonymous caller reported that Ya was still alive. And this caller apparently could not divulge her whereabouts or any of the details about her safety. And this collar was actually never identified. And the tip was never even connected back to Elena Carisi. And years passed with no developments.

[Daphne]

In 1999, Romina and Albano separated because it seemed like their relationship just really understandably buckled under the weight of their grief. Romina said sadly, when I see her face, I think she looks absolutely beautiful. And if this story has a happy ending, it would make a very good script. I feel it will have a happy ending and soon, I hope. It seems like a film. It seems like a movie. It's very strange because we've always been like the protagonist of a happy story and all of a sudden we're the protagonists of a mystery story. Albano agreed that the years that followed Yen's disappearance were the worst of his life, saying, quote, quote, it was terrible. I thought God had abandoned me. And with the real pain, a voice grew that said, albano, end it all. But then I realized the devil was speaking to me and I felt the presence of God, a deep peace. After 42 years of marriage, Romina and Albano officially divorced in 2012. Some believe it's possible that Yenya is still alive somewhere and that she was either detained or decided to live a life off the grid away from her family. But this is really just based on her interest in traveling and nothing else.

[Teeth]

Yeah, there's nothing really there to support that theory.

[Daphne]

Yeah, she never expressed any interest in getting away from her family or off the grid or away from society. You know, it's been 30 years, so the fact that she hasn't said anything to her family is very concerning. In January of 2013, so 19 years since she had last been seen, her father Albano filed a request to have his daughter declared legally dead. And she was officially declared Deceased in December of 2014. Alenya would now be 54 years old. Alenya Carisi stood at 5ft 7 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds. She had blonde hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a white jacket and a floral print dress. If you have any information about the disappearance of Alenya Carisi, please call the New Orleans Police Department at 504-658-5315. Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Teeth]

Yes, thank you guys so much. And thank you, Michelle, for suggesting this, this case. There are a lot of photos connected to this case of Albano, Romina, Elena, and also Alexander. So make sure you head on over to our socials. Go give us a follow. Go check those out. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast and we're also on Facebook.

[Daphne]

Yes. And let us know what you guys think of this story. I mean, this is such a spooky story to me. The fact that there has never been any sight of her. You know, no remains connected to her have been found.

[Teeth]

Like all the stuff that was left behind at the hotel that belongs to Elenia.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's. It's just such a suspicious and odd story to me. And to this day, her family still does not have concrete answers. So please, please, please make sure that you share this story, share her photo on our socials. Check it out. Thank you guys so much. And we will see you on Friday for a wild case. Get ready for this one. One.

[Teeth]

All right, guys, so for everybody out.

[Daphne]

There in the world, don't be a stranger. Sa.