The heartbroken family of a fugitive found dead in Libya is seeking questions into the cause of her death and is desperate to establish the whereabouts of her corpse.

Marzia Maatouk, 24, was found dead in a Libyan town in May, after having vanished with her husband in August last year.

The husband, 38-year-old Jomic Calleja Maatouk, who was described by a magistrate as a “lethal weapon”, was arrested.

Two months on, Marzia’s family wants more clarity and transparency on investigations into her death and want to know when her corpse will be brought back to Malta and who is responsible for repatriation.

Speaking in detail for the first time with Times of Malta, the mother, grandparents, aunt and cousin of Marzia expressed their frustration at the fact they still have no idea where her corpse is being kept in Libya, and what led to her death, insisting that the authorities are offering little to no help.

“As long as she was a wanted criminal the authorities were ready to do all they could to hunt her down and get her here, but now that she’s dead, it seems nobody cares that much anymore,” her grandmother, Filippa Zammit, said.

“It seems that when you do something wrong everyone wants to get you, but when you become the victim, it’s all buried before you’ve even been buried.”

The family want to have a proper funeral for the young woman and hopefully achieve closure from a trauma they have been going through for almost a year.

It seems that when you do something wrong, everyone wants to get you, but when you become the victim, it’s all buried before you’ve even been buried

The fugitive couple fled Malta last summer, days after the husband was sentenced to five years in prison for importing explosives and attempting to buy a lethal poison on the dark web.

Marzia was not involved in his dark web case but had her own legal troubles after she was caught with 340 grams of cannabis in a car in 2019 and received a 15-month jail term for cannabis possession with intent to traffic in the same month her husband was sentenced.

Within weeks they both vanished, and their disappearance triggered a Europe-wide manhunt that landed them on Europol’s list of most wanted fugitives.

Back then, her family had told Times of Malta they found the house the couple shared in disarray, and they feared for her safety.

‘Worst fears happened’

Speaking to Times of Malta again this week, they said their worst fears happened, and her mother, Marthese, said she felt a bad premonition two days before she received the news.

“I had been telling the social worker that the next time I’d see my daughter she would be dead and on Monday that week I felt a weight in my chest, a feeling that something was about to go wrong. By Thursday she was dead,” she said.

“Now I don’t know when or whether I’ll ever see her body again. I don’t think it would have taken the authorities this long if she were the daughter of some powerful person.”

Newsbook reported that the Maltese authorities are facing hurdles to get details about the couple from Libya and to make arrangements for the repatriation of her corpse.

The Maltese Embassy in Libya submitted an official request received from the family to the Libyan Foreign Affairs Ministry, for the repatriation of her cadaver. Additional follow-up requests were issued on June 11 and 26.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Libya confirmed that Marzia Marimar Calleja Maatouk was found deceased in Gharyan and that the matter is being investigated by the Office of the AG. The embassy has not yet received a confirmation that the procedure for repatriation can commence."

The embassy also made an official request to the Libyan authorities for information on Jomic Calleja Maatouk, to ensure consular assistance.

The police told Times of Malta they have “sought information about the case from the Libyan authorities, but no definite decision has been communicated yet”.

We don’t even know the precise date of her death

The family are also in regular contact with the Maltese embassy in Libya, but they say the updates they receive are of little to no help and are often vague and raise more questions.

For instance, the family were initially told it was believed Marzia’s death was the cause of suicide, but subsequent e-mails from the embassy mention “investigations” and the “accused”, which are leading her relatives to believe investigators are suspecting foul play.

Times of Malta also sent questions to the Maltese Embassy in Libya, but no answer was received by the time of writing.

‘We desperately need closure’

The family is demanding to be more involved and better informed of the progress of the investigation, as they do not exclude Marzia might have been murdered.

“One month ago, we received an e-mail from the Maltese Embassy in Libya asking us to prepare the necessary documents for her body to be repatriated,” said her aunt, Silvana Zammit.

“We thought she would be brought to Malta soon after that, but we’ve been left waiting since. We need a clearer picture of what is going on and we’d like to be more involved because we desperately need closure.”

“We’re so uninformed that we don’t even know the precise date of her death,” Marzia’s grandfather, Vincent, added.

Meanwhile, they said many of Marzia’s friends have contacted them, asking for the funeral details which the family does not yet have.

Marzia was sentenced for a crime related to cannabis but her family does not believe she was some hardened criminal. Rather, she was a victim who failed to find timely help when she needed it.

“She was mostly happy, cheerful and a lively hard worker,” her mother Marthese recalled, in tears.

“I wish the police could have helped her more. They would tell she was legally responsible for her actions, but if anyone needs help for choosing the wrong paths, they should get it, no matter how old they are.”

Marzia’s grandfather, Vincent, also believes the authorities could have done more to prevent the couple from fleeing. Any person out on bail should be tagged, he insisted, so that police know when they are about to leave the country.

“Had they been tagged, none of this would have happened,” he said.

“We believe that her husband managed to break her will to the point that she believed that there was no other option than to flee the country with him.”

The family now sits at home, surrounded with photos of young Marzia, waiting impatiently for any news that could shed light on the full extent of the tragedy.

Along with the photos, other memories remain – a few of Marzia’s drawings. She loved drawing, and the family now cherishes some of her sketches which they keep at her grandparents’ home.

“We are consumed by so many emotions,” her cousin David said after the family had opened up about the ordeal.

David, together with her brother Marvin, were two of the closest people to Marzia and they would often hang out together.

“We hope that all those responsible are brought to justice.”

Her mother and aunt, on the other hand, say they have been especially hurt by harsh, often cruel social media comments about Marzia.

“We just wish people were more careful on what comments they write,” aunt Silvana said.

Her mother Marthese said: “These people don’t know Marzia. We know her, and I’m not saying this just because I’m her mother. She was not a bad person.”