Italian authorities are investigating the death of a 35-year-old British man whose naked body was discovered at a rural off-grid settlement in Sicily.
Benjamin John Braithwaite, from Leeds, had been living among a group of foreign backpackers and self-described hippies in the Sicilian countryside.
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His body was found beside a tent he had been using to sleep, in a remote area close to the village of Canicattini Bagni, which sits inland from the coastal city of Syracuse.
The discovery was made sometime between Saturday evening and the early hours of Sunday morning.
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Investigators have not yet determined whether Mr Braithwaite died as a result of an accident, foul play, or suicide.
Drugs were recovered from the site, and a goat’s head image was spotted painted on a stone wall surrounding the encampment.
Those findings led Italian media outlets to raise the possibility that occult or esoteric rituals may have been practised at the location.
However, the lead investigator has pushed back against such speculation.
“We will have to wait for the postmortem before we can establish the cause of death,” Lt Col Sara Pini, the officer in charge of the investigation, told The Telegraph.
“The area where his body was found is in the countryside, where a group of young people live. It’s pretty rustic.”
Lt Col Pini confirmed that, aside from the image on the perimeter wall, officers had uncovered no evidence to suggest any strange rituals had taken place.
The Carabinieri unit based in the nearby town of Noto is spearheading the investigation, alongside prosecutors from Syracuse.
Residents of the off-grid community have already been questioned by police.
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A post-mortem examination is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Paolo Amenta, the mayor of Canicattini Bagni, has described the group living in the settlement as largely harmless.
“Among the young people who live in this area there are university graduates who have chosen to leave everything behind,” he said.
Locals have taken to referring to the community’s members as “hippies” or “flower children,” according to the mayor.
“I meet them from time to time, especially during events that are held in the village.
“Their style of living and the way they dress raises a bit of curiosity. But there have never been any problems.”
“They have always behaved in a kind and cordial manner. They are a bit nomadic. They tend to stick around for between 10 days and a month.
“Some of them stay longer. We very much hope that the investigation will be able to clarify what happened,” he told the Italian press.
The Foreign Office confirmed it was aware of the case.
A spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.”
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