'My son vanished in Sardinia without a trace – I know something terrible happened'

A British mother searching for her son who vanishedin Sardinia exactly one year ago says she is "broken" as she pleads for fresh help. Michael Frison, 26, vanished on July 13, 2024 - just one day after arriving on the Italianisland to volunteer on a farm.

Despite extensive searches of nearby woodlands, caves and mountains, no trace of him has ever been found. His mother, Cristina Pittalis, originally from Sardinia but now living in Somerset, has since moved back to the island with her 11-year-old son in a desperate attempt to find answers. "I'm trying not to lose my mind," she said, recounting the last time she heard from him. "He was in a rush but absolutely clear in his speech, I didn't detect any confusion in his state of mind."

"Human beings do not disappear from the face of earth without leaving traces unless… something extremely bad happened to them," the mum told Sky News.

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Michael had reportedly gone out for a walk and returned in a confused state, showing signs of heatstroke. He then left again - this time barefoot - and never came back.

His clothes and trainers were later discovered nearby. But Cristina believes the heatstroke theory doesn’t add up. She said it was "extremely unlikely" he would suffer in the heat, as he'd previously lived on the island, and said it was "completely out of character" for him to abandon his belongings and wander off.

She is now urging Interpol to intervene in the case, despite an ongoing local investigation. Cristina is also calling on a woman from Jersey - believed to have been with Michael in the days before he vanished - to come forward with any information.

She described the toll the disappearance has taken on Michael's younger half-brother Emanuele, whose father died in 2017. "He’s devastated," she said. "The three of us were extremely close, the two of them, they used to do everything together. It’s horrible, he lost his father and now he lost his brother."

A friend of Cristina's previously launched a GoFundMe to support the family’s search efforts, raising over $10,000 to help cover travel, legal costs, and awareness campaigns.

"It’s a never-ending nightmare," she said. "I am extremely worried because there are no traces of Michael."