British man, 25, missing for eight months after going on family holiday with ‘woman he met online’
A man from Somerset who went on a family holiday with a 'woman he met online' has now been missing for eight months, leaving his mum 'living in limbo'.
British holidaymaker Michael Frison, 25, went missing in Luras, Sardinia on 13 July, 2024.
His mum, Cristina Pittalis, 49, revealed that her son flew from Bristol Airport to Olbia on 2 July to celebrate his 25th birthday with relatives.
Cristina claims her son then left his grandparents' home to volunteer on a farm in the Gallura region with a woman from Jersey, named Niomi, on 12 July.
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Michael and Niomi met online in July 2023, and the mum says she asked to join up with him on the trip - to which Michael agreed, prompting him to cancel his return flight to the UK, which was scheduled on 13 July, and extend his stay by a week.
The last Cristina heard from Michael was a day before his cancelled return flight.
A couple days on, the concerned parent said she was contacted by Niomi and the owner of the farm. They told police that Michael had returned to the farm in a 'confused state' after coming back from a walk.
The farm owner and Niomi then said that he decided to go on another walk, and never returned, according to the BBC.
His passport, suitcase, mobile phone and laptop were left at the accommodation.
"They only met in person once before she asked Michael if she could join him in Sardinia while he was with his grandparents," Cristina told The Sun in an exclusive interview.
"He was really happy to be there and was celebrating his 25th and his grandma’s 70th - but his demeanour changed when she arrived. He wasn’t as chatty or smiley when she arrived.
"He was always in contact with me almost on a daily basis. She asked Michael if he could stay with her and he said to me 'Mum I will stay a bit longer and will keep her company until her dad arrives in Sardinia'."
Michael's disappearance sparked a big search operation, involving a rescue team, a helicopter, drones, and volunteers.
Sadly, he is yet to be found.
The Sardinia-born mum added: "I can’t even imagine how Jay Slater’s mum would have felt when her son went missing and she couldn’t communicate in Spanish.
"I can communicate with the police and they have done absolutely nothing — they have been useless. I flew out to Sardinia and realised what was going on - their story was that my son essentially left the place wearing only his pants. She said he was barefoot — it’s impossible!
"It's dry and imperious land full of stones and dry vegetation. It’s difficult to move with no shoes."
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Anish Vij