An Italian homeless man was arrested and charged with the murder of Beau Solomon, a 19-year-old student who was found dead when his body was pulled from the Tiber River in Rome Monday.
Solomon, a personal finance major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was last seen early Friday morning at a pub shortly after arriving in Rome. He had beat childhood cancer and was due to study at John Cabot University.
The man, Massimo Galioto, 40, is being charged with “aggravated murder,” a police spokesman told NBC News.
Solomon’s roommate became “worried when he did not see Beau at orientation” later in the day, John Cabot University said in a statement Sunday.
“We express our most heartfelt condolences to the Solomon family and to all those who loved Beau,” John Cabot University, a small Rome-based liberal arts college, said in a statement.
Cole Solomon, Beau Solomon’s 23-year-old brother, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Monday that his brother’s body was found with a head wound and blood on his shirt and it was being treated as a “murder investigation.”
Solomon’s body was also found without a wallet or cellphone. After Solomon disappeared, his parents “realized thousands of dollars had been charged” in Milan to his credit card account.
His parents arrived in Rome Monday.
“I was saddened to learn of the tragic death of Beau Solomon,” U.S. Ambassador to Italy John Phillips said in a statement Tuesday. “My heart goes out to his family and friends. The U.S. Embassy stands ready to provide support to Italian authorities investigating his disappearance and death.”
