Silvana Muscat. Photo: FacebookA 36-year-old woman who had filed at least three police reports claiming domestic violence was yesterday found stabbed to death in a St Paul’s Bay apartment.
Silvana Muscat, originally from Mosta, was found lying on her bed with about five stab wounds to the upper part of her body, police said.
“She was being threatened,” a friend of Ms Muscat told this newspaper, adding she could not believe that her friend – known by the nickname Daisy – had been murdered so brutally.
The grim discovery was made by a relative who went to check on Ms Muscat in the apartment in Triq l-Isponoż, right above Rookie’s Bar in St Paul’s Bay.
Ms Muscat had not been answering her phone and relatives, aware of her history of abuse, got concerned and went to check on her.
Deputy Police Commissioner Pierre Calleja said police had pinpointed a “person of interest” – whom he described as a man of foreign nationality – who left Malta for Italy on Wednesday night.
A man of foreign nationality left Malta for Italy on Wednesday night
He could not confirm whether this was the same person against whom Ms Muscat had filed the police reports, one of which led to a recent arraignment in court.
He explained that he had to respect the presumption of innocence at this stage. For the same reason he would not disclose the nature of the relationship between Ms Muscat and the person of interest.
‘She was being threatened’
Speaking during a press conference held at police headquarters in Floriana yesterday afternoon, Mr Calleja and Assistant Commissioner Norbert Ciappara said that yesterday morning, at about 10.15am, the police were informed that Ms Muscat had been found dead in the apartment.
She was in her bed wearing home clothes and had about five stab wounds to the upper part of her body. She had been dead for “several hours”. An autopsy would confirm the exact time and cause of death, they said.
The scene outside Rookie’s Bar in St Paul’s Bay. Photo: Matthew MirabelliPolice also found a knife in the common area leading to the roof of the apartment block. Forensic tests would determine if it was the murder weapon.
Mr Calleja said there were no signs of a break-in but it was too early to say how the murderer got in and out of the apartment. He added that police had not made contact with the person of interest.
If investigations evolved and this person became a prime suspect, Mr Calleja said, police would start the process of issuing a European arrest warrant.
He confirmed that a car – towed away by police from near the airport yesterday morning – was believed to belong to the person of interest.
Earlier yesterday sources said police stopped a man at the airport in what could have been a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Calleja said no one was arrested.
Police investigations are ongoing and a magisterial inquiry is under way.