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This heartbreaking footage shows a beautiful volleyball player dancing with friends during a graduation party attended by dozens of guests in a private villa hours before she was found mysteriously dead.
The incident took place in Bagheria, near Palermo, Italy, in the early hours of Saturday, 2nd August.
Simona Cina was found dead in the swimming pool at the event, which was attended by around 80 people and hosted by two recent university graduates.
She had last messaged her mother at around 1:00am to say she was going swimming and would not have her phone with her.
Three hours later, the emergency services were called, by which time Simona had already been pulled from the pool and attempts to resuscitate her had failed.
Her parents only learned something was wrong when they called her phone at 4:50am and a young man answered, saying Simona was unwell. When they arrived at the villa, their daughter was dead.
Lawyer Gabriele Giambrone, representing the family, has raised questions about several inconsistencies.
She said Simona was reportedly found face up in the water, unusual for a drowning victim.
The lawyer stated: "There are too many things that don't add up. For a long time, no one noticed that Simona was dead in the water. Yet the pool is small and the villa was full of young people."
Her parents say Simona was very mindful of her health and it was unlikely that she would have gotten drunk.
And bizarrely, no trace of alcohol was found at the scene, despite the party invitation saying alcohol would be included.
On arrival, police found only bags of empty water bottles and no sign of glasses or other waste indicating there could had been a clean up.
Her family also said: "Simona was a surfer and a perfect swimmer; it's hard to believe she just drowned in a small pool."
Further suspicious were raised after blood was discovered at the scene.
One guest was taken to a police station for DNA testing and claimed he had accidentally injured himself out of shock after learning of her death and the blood was apparently his.
Investigators are examining social media posts and testimony from other guests to piece together what happened in the 50-minute window between when she was last seen and when the alarm was raised.
Footage filmed just hours before the tragedy shows Simona dancing with friends next to the pool.
A later scene also shows her dancing with other girls inside a bathroom at the villa. The three girls are laughing and appear to be joking in front of the mirror.
Simona was a student of Sports Science and Techniques at the University of Palermo and a respected volleyball player from Capaci.
Her former coach described her as a cheerful and dedicated athlete who had recently planned to study abroad.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Video Editor: David Stojkovic
Byline Copychecker: Marija Stojkoska
Byline Illustrator: Marija Stojkoska
Byline News Editor: Simona Kitanovska
Geography: Bagheria
Subject: Accidents, Accidents In Water, Sporting Accidents
T4 Editor Story Rating: 6
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 8
T4 Total rating: 7
