Ylenia Carrisi was born on November 29, 1970 in Rome. Her parents were the famous Romina Power and Al Bano. Her mother came from an acting family. Romina's parents were Linda Christian and Tyrone Power, who made careers in Hollywood. Their daughter also followed in their footsteps. She started appearing in films as a teenager. In 1967, then 14-year-old Romina won a role in the Italian film "Nel Sole". While filming, she met Albano Carrisi.
The girl immediately liked a handsome Italian man, 10 years older than her. Albano was a vocalist and also played guitar. The couple started dating and the feeling between them seemed strong despite the age difference. However, the girl's parents did not accept this relationship. Carrisi came from a poor farming family. The movie stars hoped that their daughter would marry a rich and influential man from high society.
However, the teenager in love did not listen to her parents and continued her relationship with the Italian. In July 1970, the couple got married. Romina was five months pregnant at the time. Soon Ylenia appeared in the world. The couple had two more daughters and a son. In addition to their successful family life, they pursued a professional career in the music industry. Power and Carrisi (who performed under the stage name Al Bano) gained popularity around the world. Their biggest hit was probably the song "Felicità". However, the stars experienced a great tragedy that also affected their relationship.
From an early age, the musicians' eldest daughter was independent and eager to explore the world. The girl began her education in Rome. She went to London to study, where she studied literature. At the age of 24, Ylenia decided to move to the USA. She did it at the suggestion of Alexander Masakel, a street musician 30 years her senior. The young woman quickly fell in love with the man. My parents didn't like this relationship. So history has come full circle. Carrisi disobeyed Al Bano and Romina, just as her mother once disobeyed her parents.
So Ylenia went to the United States. She came up with the idea of writing a book about the life of the homeless in New Orleans. Masakel accompanied her. The last conversation between the famous parents and their eldest daughter took place on January 1, 1994. Carrisi then stayed at the hotel with her partner. Relatives expressed New Year's wishes to each other, but at some point a quarrel broke out between them. It was about Masakela.
After this conversation, Ylenia stopped contacting her family. At first it could be explained as a telephone argument. However, the following days passed and the young woman still did not speak to her relatives. On January 18, Al Bano and Romina Power reported their daughter missing. They also flew to the USA to look for her on their own. The parents felt that something bad had happened. They suspected that Alexander Masakel was involved in their daughter's disappearance.
The man used drugs and had problems with the law in the past. He had a record of sexual violence. Masakel also had a reputation as a guru. Carrisi seemed fascinated by him and called him her "master". After Ylenia's disappearance, most of her personal belongings (including her passport, backpack, clothes and camera) were found in the hotel where she had previously stayed with a much older musician.
After the woman's disappearance, Masakela tried to use her traveler's checks to pay her hotel room bill. However, the hotel did not accept this payment because the checks were unsigned. It is worth adding that the 54-year-old was arrested on January 31, 1994, less than a month after Carrisi's disappearance. However, this arrest was not related to the disappearance of the young woman. The reason was the testimony of the street musician's former partner. The woman claimed she was raped by Masakela. After less than two weeks, the man was released due to lack of evidence.
The breakthrough in the case was the testimony of a security guard from New Orleans. On January 6, 1994, around 11:30 p.m., a man saw a young woman who looked like Ylenia. She jumped into the Mississippi River. Just before she said, "I belong to the water." According to Al Bano, his daughter allegedly uttered the same words as a child. The woman swam about 100 meters, fighting the strong river current. At one point she started screaming for help and quickly found herself under the water's surface.
However, it is not certain whether it was actually Carrisi. If so, it is also unknown whether she managed to get out of the river. In any case, the security guard notified the services, which checked the Mississippi in the indicated section. However, neither the woman nor her body were found. According to experts, the river has a rapid current and it is often impossible to find the bodies of people who decide to swim in it. Many of the daredevils lose their battle with the elements.
The parents of the missing woman reacted completely differently to the testimony of the security guard. Al Bano was convinced that the witness had seen his eldest daughter. The musician suspected that Ylenia had started taking drugs and was under their influence that day. The Italian believed that his daughter jumped into the river and drowned. However, Romina claimed otherwise. The woman believed that her child was still alive. He thinks the same way today, asking his daughter to come home every year on her birthday.
The disappearance of the daughter and different approaches to this issue led to a crisis in the marriage of Romina and Al Bano. It was so serious that the famous couple divorced in 1999. The musicians also stopped recording songs together and giving concerts. The break in musical cooperation lasted until 2013, when the former spouses appeared on stage again. However, it was only a professional comeback - their relationship ended definitively.
Many years later, one of the Italian journalists published a photo which, in his opinion, depicted Ylenia Carrisi. Photojournalist Roberto Fiasconaro claimed to have spotted Ylenia Carrisi at the Santa Lucia station in Venice in 2000. He had previously received information from a friend who had spotted the missing woman. The reporter watched the woman and waited for the perfect shot. However, she noticed the camera aimed at her and lowered her head.
She wanted to leave the station, but Fiasconaro did not give up and managed to take a photo. The woman didn't like it. She and her friend approached the journalist. They wanted Fiasconaro to give them the film back. The man did not agree and then started running away. It is difficult to tell whether the woman in the photo is Ylenia Carrisi. She's certainly fatter than the daughter of famous musicians. On the other hand, she may have gained weight in the 6 years since her disappearance. It would also make it difficult to recognize.
Unfortunately, to this day it has not been possible to determine what happened to the young missing woman. It is also not certain whether Ylenia is still alive. However, her body was never found. Three scenarios are most often adopted:
1) On the night of January 6, a woman died while swimming in the Mississippi River. This seems to be the simplest and most likely solution in my opinion. If so, the question still needs to be answered whether it was a suicide or an accident. Personally, I would lean towards the latter option. Shortly before the fateful day, the young woman allegedly did the same thing, but she managed to swim safely to the shore.
2) Ylenia was murdered by Masakela. He was a man who had committed violence against women in the past. According to many friends, he treated his partners badly and even raped some of them. Masakela testified that he and Ylenia slept in separate beds in the hotel. It was the decision of a 24-year-old woman who did not want to have sex with an older man, even though he was interested in it. Perhaps he became angry at the rejection and killed the young woman and then hid her body. In my opinion, this possibility cannot be ruled out.
3) The daughter of famous parents decided to escape from her current life. Ylenia had her own ambitions, perhaps she did not want to be associated with a famous mother and father. She may have wanted to make a career out of her own skills and talent. Carrisi may also have wanted to run away from Masakel when she discovered his true colors. While such motivation can be understood, it is difficult to believe that for 30 years she did not contact her loved ones with whom she maintained generally good relationships. Someone would probably recognize her sooner or later, because she was a publicly known person (especially in Italy).
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