Man Who Found Newborn's Body in Church Safe Haven Box Speaks Out About the Tragedy and His 'Moment of Shock'

Mar. 15, 2025

Investigators collect evidence at a church in Bari, Italy.Photo:Sasaneli/ROPI via ZUMA Press

Sasaneli/ROPI via ZUMA Press

The man who founda newborn’s dead body inside a “thermal cradle"left for abandoned babies at an Italian church is opening up about the tragedy.

“Well, we were there at 9:20 on Jan. 2 for a funeral we were carrying out, and I was telling one of my new staffers about the thermal cradle that the parish had,” Savarese says. “So I said, ‘Come, I’ll show you,’ and I opened the first small gate — which isn’t locked, it’s open for easy access from outside for those in need.”

San Giovanni Battista Church in Bari, Italy.Google Maps

Google Maps

Ruccia previously told Ansa he was in Rome at the time of the incident, and his cell phone — which is connected to the cradle — never rang.

“The investigators will have to determine why the alarm system didn’t function and whether the heating was working,” the 56-year-old added. “Everything that could have been done to prevent this was in place, but somehow something still went wrong.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“This morning I had a funeral in another parish,” he tells PEOPLE. “I arrived there with my vehicles and everyone was looking at me and then they started to approach and ask me. Everyone wants to know about the tragedy as they are all shocked.”

Investigators collect evidence at the scene in Bari, Italy.Sasaneli/ROPI via ZUMA Press

As for Savarese, he and the rest of the local community have been left reeling as they try to make sense of the rare tragedy.

source: people.com