Leonarda Cianciulli (14 April 1894 – 15 October 1970) Was an Italian Serial Killer. Better Known as the “Soap-Maker of Correggio” (Italian: La Saponificatrice Di Correggio), She Murdered Three Women in Correggio Between 1939 and 1940, and Turned Their Bodies into Soap and Teacakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Early Life
Cianciulli Was Born in Montella. While Still a Young Girl, She Attempted Suicide Twice. in 1917 She Married a Registry Office Clerk, Raffaele Pansardi. Her Parents Did Not Approve of the Marriage, as They Had Planned to Marry Her to Another Man. She Claimed That on This Occasion Her Mother Cursed Them. the Couple Moved to Pansardi’s Native Town, Lauria, in 1921 Where Cianciulli Was Sentenced for Fraud and Imprisoned in 1927. When Released, the Couple Moved to Lacedonia. Their Home Was Destroyed by an Earthquake in 1930, and They Moved Once More, This Time to Correggio, Where Cianciulli Opened a Small Shop. She Was Very Popular and Well-Respected Within Her Neighborhood.
Murders
In 1939, Cianciulli Learned That Her Eldest Son, Giuseppe, Was Going to Join the Italian Army in Preparation for World War Ii. Giuseppe Was Her Favourite Child, and She Was Determined to Protect Him at All Costs. She Came to the Conclusion That His Safety Required Human Sacrifices. She Found Her Victims in Three Middle-Aged Women, All Neighbours. Sources Record That Cianciulli Was Something of a Fortune Teller Herself, and That These Women All Visited Her for Help.
Faustina Setti
The First of Cianciulli’s Victims, Faustina Setti, Was a Lifelong Spinster Who Had Come to Her for Help in Finding a Husband. Cianciulli Told Her of a Suitable Partner in Pola, but Asked Her to Tell No One of the News. She Also Persuaded Setti to Write Letters and Postcards to Relatives and Friends. They Were to Be Mailed When She Reached Pola, to Tell Them That Everything Was Fine.
Francesca Soavi
Francesca Soavi Was the Second Victim. Cianciulli Claimed to Have Found Her a Job at a School for Girls in Piacenza. Like Setti, Soavi Was Persuaded to Write Postcards to Be Sent to Friends, This Time from Correggio, Detailing Her Plans. Also Like Setti, Soavi Came to Visit with Cianciulli Before Her Departure. She Too Was Given Drugged Wine and Then Killed with an Axe. the Murder Occurred on 5 September 1940. Soavi’s Body Was Given the Same Treatment as Setti’s, and Cianciulli Is Said to Have Obtained 3,000 Lire from Her Second Victim.
Virginia Cacioppo
Cianciulli’s Final Victim Was Virginia Cacioppo, a Former Soprano Said to Have Sung at La Scala. for Her, Cianciulli Claimed to Have Found Work as the Secretary for a Mysterious Impresario in Florence. as with the Other Two Women, She Was Instructed Not to Tell a Single Person Where She Was Going. Virginia Agreed, and on 30 September 1940, Came for a Last Visit to Cianciulli. the Pattern to the Murder Was the Same as the First Two. However, Unlike the First Two Victims, Cacioppo’s Body Was Melted to Make Soap. According to Cianciulli’s Statement:
Discovery and Trial
Cacioppo’s Sister-in-Law Grew Suspicious at Her Sudden Disappearance, and Had Last Seen Her Entering Cianciulli’s House. She Reported Her Fears to the Superintendent of Police in Reggio Emilia, Who Opened an Investigation and Soon Arrested Cianciulli. Cianciulli Immediately Confessed to the Murders, Providing Detailed Accounts of What She Had Done.
