A Senegalese immigrant was detained Wednesday
in the strangulation death of a 35-year-old
American woman, just hours after crime scene
investigators returned to her Florence apartment
to search for clues identifying her killer.
Ashley Olsen was found nude on her bed in her
rented apartment on Saturday after her boyfriend
had the owner open the door, alarmed that the
woman had failed to respond to phone calls.The
body had bruises and scratches on the neck, and
an autopsy determined that she had been
strangled with a cord or a rope.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported early
Thursday that police detained the suspect
Wednesday based on DNA evidence taken from
the scene. Investigators had narrowed in on the
suspect using video surveillance cameras along
the route from the nightclub that showed them
together Friday morning, a day before Olsen's
body was found. The man was known to
authorities for being involved in the local drug
scene.
Authorities released no other details. The lead
prosecutor had declined to comment on the case
earlier Wednesday, and police officials say they
are not authorized to speak to media during the
investigation.
Olsen, originally from Summer Haven, Florida, had
been living in Florence for three years, an active
member of the expatriate community and art
scene. She had moved to Italy to join her father
Walter Olsen, who teaches in the Renaissance art
city.
Walter Olsen issued a statement late Tuesday
expressing the family's grief and confidence that
the killer would be found.
"We are devastated that our precious
Ashley has passed away resulting from a
horrible and senseless crime," he wrote.
He described his daughter as "a beautiful and
creative young woman, with a happy, exuberant
and generous soul," adding: "We are heartbroken
she was taken from us."
He asked that the family be left to grieve in
peace and expressed "faith that the perpetrator
will be found and sentenced."
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