Irene Cristinzio's husband, who disappeared 12 years ago in Orosei, was denied cremation.

Antonino Nanni, 83, husband of Irene Cristinzio , the woman who disappeared in Orosei on 11 July 2013 without leaving a trace , died on Wednesday in Sestu , where he had been for some time.

The news of their death was released by the Penelope Italia association, which has been supporting the families of missing persons for years and is chaired honorarily by Nicoletta Nanni, the couple's daughter.

The man's three children—Nicoletta, Salvatore, and Gabriele—requested their father's cremation . However, this request was denied: by law, the spouse's authorization is required, and according to the Italian government, Irene Cristinzio is missing but officially still alive. Only a declaration of presumed death can proceed.

A paradoxical situation that highlights a regulatory gap, as denounced by Gianfranco Piscitelli, president of the Penelope association, and Antonio Carotti, owner of the Dorgali funeral home in charge of the service. "We supported the family immediately after Irene's disappearance. I met with Antonino several times, and yesterday, as a final farewell, I said to him: now you'll be the only one who knows the truth," Piscitelli explains. "In recent times, he had let himself go, as happens with the families of missing persons, because it's something that wears you down. Just like Stefano Masala's poor mother did." The alternative now is to keep Antonino's body in a ventilated niche for six months, awaiting the conclusion of the presumed death procedure. The funeral will take place today at 11 a.m. in Orosei.

Carotti also calls for action on a law he calls "inadequate and penalizing. A family," he says, "has just lost their father, and the three children jointly sign to authorize cremation. But the law requires the signature of the wife, who has been missing for over ten years. It's an absurd situation. A legislative change is needed that gives value to the children's signatures in cases where the spouse is untraceable, missing, or incapacitated," Carotti adds. "It's a problem that also arises with people suffering from serious cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's." The request for authorization for cremation was submitted yesterday to the Court of Nuoro, but was rejected. Unless there is an extraordinary exception, the process will now take six months to complete. Until then, Antonino Nanni's body will have to wait.

The proceedings for the declaration of presumed death of Irene Cristinzio, who disappeared into thin air 12 years ago, are still underway in the Nuoro Court .

The proceedings were formally initiated on July 8th, following the granting of the request submitted by the children and Antonino Nanni. Judge Tiziana Longu ordered the publication of the notice, giving six months for any complaints.

On the morning of her disappearance, Irene, 64, had left her house on Via Nurache for her usual morning run. She was carrying a clutch bag with two cell phones, which had been unreachable since 9:00 a.m. There was no trace, no signal. She wasn't in a remote location, but in a tourist town, in the height of the summer season. Now, the death of Antonino Nanni, her husband who for over a decade had lived with the burden of her absence, brings to light another difficulty: bureaucracy.