"He never, ever could have ended up there alone." Disturbing details are emerging about the fate of William Manca, a 45-year-old from Sassari, found dead yesterday afternoon in a bush on the Ponti Pizzinnu road. Those who knew him and associated with him remain firm in their belief: "He once had a motorcycle, but he didn't use it. They took him there."

"Hidden" in a place full of garbage and several dog carcasses, some of which were presumably abandoned there. His face was unrecognizable, and he appears to have been bitten by several stray animals. His brother Costanzo said it was William, recognizing him by his clothes, his green shirt, and his newly purchased shoes, while he apparently had only a set of keys and a Postepay card in his pockets.

"I'll have coffee and be back in an hour," he told relatives on the evening of Saturday, September 6th, while telling others in the historic center he was going to Campanedda. But, according to what has emerged so far, he never made it to the Sassari suburb. Witnesses report seeing him first in a bar in Sassari Vecchia, then near the market, with two people.

He was then found at a club in Bancali, where he arrived with a couple of men, possibly the same ones, almost unconscious. It is said that he even fell from the car, unable to get out, so much so that someone present suggested calling 911. The man then disappeared, although it is believed he was taken to a nearby property by a known person. It seems that the two companions, a detail that needs to be confirmed, were seen on Sunday the 7th. When asked where William had gone, they reportedly replied, "We drove him home."

Meanwhile, the search begins after the family members filed a complaint, starting Sunday and ending yesterday with a tragic outcome. Rumors are rife in Sassari Vecchia, where William was born and raised and, for years, had cared for his disabled mother along with his siblings. "He had a tremendous attachment to his mother," everyone reports; "he would never have abandoned her."

A "good-natured" man, a jovial man who worked odd jobs, he recently told someone he'd fallen into a bad situation. This statement may have been the result of a bout of depression, but perhaps not. The Carabinieri investigating the case, under the direction of Prosecutor Ermanno Cattaneo, will attempt to answer these questions. Cattaneo has ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of William's death.

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