The Star's Daughter Who Vanished in New Orleans

Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi, born November 29, 1970, vanished without a trace from New Orleans on January 6, 1994. She was 23 years old. Despite an official search and a decades-long investigation, she was never found — and the circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown to this day.

A famous family

Ylenia was far from an ordinary young woman. In Italy, she was a recognizable face as a letter-turner on the popular Italian game show La Ruota della Fortuna — the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune. She was also the daughter of two of Italy's most celebrated singers, Romina Power and Albano Carrisi, and the granddaughter of Hollywood legend Tyrone Power. Her disappearance sent shockwaves through Italy.

A journey that ended in uncertainty

At the time of her disappearance, Ylenia was traveling through the United States. She was staying at the LeDale Hotel at 749 Charles Street in New Orleans' famous French Quarter, together with a 54-year-old street musician named Alexander Masakela. According to available information, her parents had last heard from her on New Year's Eve 1993 — or, according to some sources, on January 1, 1994.

When Ylenia stopped making contact, her parents alerted authorities. On January 18, 1994 — twelve days after she was last seen — she was officially reported missing.

Everything left behind

What made Ylenia's disappearance especially striking was what she left behind. Her backpack, notebooks, passport, camera, and clothing were all found in the hotel room. She had vanished without her most essential belongings — without her identity documents, without her means of survival. It was as if she had simply ceased to exist.

A witness at the river

A security guard later came forward with a deeply unsettling account. He stated that he had seen a woman resembling Ylenia jump into the Mississippi River. According to his testimony, she reportedly shouted: "I belong in water."

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted searches of the Mississippi River but found no trace of Ylenia.

The man at the hotel

Alexander Masakela, who had been staying with Ylenia at the hotel, was arrested on January 31, 1994 — approximately three weeks after her disappearance. He was charged with rape, though the charges were not directly connected to Ylenia's case. Masakela was later released due to insufficient evidence.

Declared dead after twenty years

Ylenia was never found. No body was recovered. No confession was ever made. As the years passed without new leads, her family came to accept that she had most likely died. In December 2014 — twenty years after she disappeared — Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi was officially declared dead at the request of her father.

She would have been 44 years old. Instead, she remains forever 23.

The mystery of what happened on January 6, 1994, in New Orleans has never been resolved.