If the male DNA, extracted from a hair found on the clothing worn by Manuela Murgia on February 5, 1995, the day she was found dead in the Tuvixeddu Canyon, is indeed not Enrico Astero's, then whose is it? Inevitably, the investigation is broadening, as is already happening in the strictest secrecy, to include other hypotheses: such as the girl's involvement in something much bigger than herself.

The test – as permitted by the rules of the preliminary investigation – carried out by General Luciano Garofano, the 54-year-old's defense consultant, leaves no room for doubt: there is no match between the genetic profile of the male specimen found on the girl's body and Astero's DNA.

"We," says Marco Fausto Piras, the suspect's lawyer, "are very calm. We can only wait for the official outcome of the RIS investigation." And with the possible departure of Manuela's ex-boyfriend, investigators will have to pursue other investigative leads.