Mystery as Italian heiress of Rancilio coffee machine dynasty is found dead with cops questioning her son – 45 years after her brother was kidnapped by ‘Ndrangheta mafia and never seen again

• Fiorenza Rancilio was found dead with a deep head wound in her Milan home
• Her son ‘locked himself in an attic and took drugs just before her death’
• Fiorenza’s brother was kidnapped and killed by the ‘Ndrangheta in 1978

The heiress to the Rancilio coffee machine dynasty has been found dead with deep head wounds, and her son has been taken in for questioning in connection with her death. 

Fiorenza Rancilio, 73, was found lifeless in the living room of her home in Via Crocefisso, in the heart of Milan, Italy, on Wednesday. 

Police have reportedly taken her 35-year-old son, who was said to have been found in the attic that was locked from the inside on the ninth floor of her home, in for questioning. 

They added that there were no signs of forced entry into the property itself, according to local media.

The son, who has not yet been named, was taken to hospital to treat shock, and Italian media has reported that he had taken psychotropic drugs in the hours before her death. 

The pair lived on different floors of the same building. Local media reported that Fiorenza’s body was found by a cleaning lady, after her employees were alarmed not seeing the woman in her office on Wednesday morning. 

Fiorenza Rancilio, 73, was found lifeless in the living room of her home in Via Crocefisso, in the heart of Milan, Italy. Pictured: Am ambulance outside the residence

Carabinieri are pictured attending the scene on December 13, 2023

Neighbours describe the family as very reserved, busy with work and the owner of a very substantial fortune. 

Rancilio was part of a dynasty of coffee machine makers that are sold the world over. 

Fiorenza’s brother (pictured) was kidnapped and killed by the ‘Ndrangheta in 1978

The company, the Rancilio Group, has a turnover of 74 million euros by 2022, with approximately 270 employees. 

Fiorenza was not in the coffee business, and was instead in property development as a director of Palladium. Her son was also involved in the property business. 

Her firm has offices across the world, and is registered at a property in Farringdon, London, according to Companies House records. 

She is also the president of the Augusto Rancilio Foundation, a group that aims to boost architecture in Italy that was named after her late brother, who was killed at just 26 after he was allegedly taken by the Ndrangheta mafia.

Augusto was taken from a small commune just southwest of Milan on October 2 1978. 

Though his body was never found, he was reportedly killed by his captors when he tried to escape. 

It is believed that Augusto’s disappearance was part of the Anonymous Seizures of 1978, a spate of kidnappings in Italy. 

Top-level politician Aldo Moro was the highest-profile person to be kidnapped during this period. His body was found in the boot of a car 54 days after he was taken. 

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