KALIMERA – “Greet Elijah well because I will take him with me. Be responsible for whatever happens to me and him.” He trembled, listening to these words, Fabio Perroneon December 16, 2024. The one who said it was his former colleague Najoua Minnitiafter discussing how his son Elijah would spend the Christmas holidays. That day Perrone filed a complaint with social services in the municipality of Calimera, in the province of Lecce.
But on November 18, when he did not find the 8-year-old child when he left school, he went to the police to report the child missing. At the same time, the body of 35-year-old Najoua Minniti was found in the sea at Torre dell’Orso (a few kilometers north of Otranto) and those doubts turned into tragic suspicions. The reason is, the child – said Perrone’s uncle, Brizio Tomasi – “sometimes told his grandparents that his mother abused him”. Because, according to him, what happened was “a tragedy that could have been avoided”.
It happened less than a week after the incident in Muggia (Trieste), where Giovanni – aged 9 – was killed by his mother. Elijah was found at home, in the bed he shared with his mother, wearing colored pajamas, with marks of violence on his neck that could indicate strangulation. The medical examiner spoke of mechanical asphyxiation, he may also have suffocated. An autopsy will clarify how he died, which will also provide a date of death.
What is certain is that currently, the child does not go to school on Tuesdays. His life was marked by an agreement between his parents regarding joint custody. An agreement the mother did not comply with, according to the complaint filed by Perrone with the help of attorney Mario Fazzini. The two met in Parma, where Najoua – who calls himself Gioia – had arrived from Calabria. They once lived together and had a son, in 2020 they moved to Salento where Fabio Perrone was born and for many years they spent holidays.
She was a nurse, on the night between Monday and Tuesday – when her son was probably killed – she was working at the Casarano hospital. Two years ago the relationship with his partner ended and Elia’s management became problematic. City police were well acquainted with Gioia-Najoua and her former partner, as both had formalized complaints about failure to honor parenting agreements. On December 16 last year, Perrone filed a complaint with the Municipality in which she reported her ex’s words: “Take responsibility for whatever happens to me and the child”; “I’ve gone to the sea by car.”
And then the lawsuits. The judge immediately ordered emergency measures to take Elijah from his mother, but after going through the process at a mental health center, it was determined that he could get the child back. Based on this opinion – explained Fazzini’s lawyer – an agreement was reached regarding joint custody. Which also includes provisions stating that Najoua Minniti must follow the parenting and behavior path. “It’s something the woman hasn’t done in the last few months,” the lawyer said. And this made Perrone file another complaint, because his ex had also damaged his car. The investigation is ongoing but may not be timely enough.
