Italian referee Daniele De Santis and fiancee Eleonora Manta were stabbed to death at his home in Lecce. Police opened an investigation into the stabbed to death incident that occurred on Monday (September 21).

Police immediately arrived at the scene after receiving information that cries for help came from referee De Santis’s house, and when they arrived, De Santis’s body was found on the stairs on the second floor of the house. Their apartment complexes, while his fiancé Manta was discovered in the house.

Initial sources said an eyewitness had seen a man leave the scene with a knife and a backpack. Police have not officially identified the suspect.

The area around the apartment of De Santis, 33 and Manta, 30, has lots of cameras installed, and police hope to find evidence to identify the perpetrator soon, despite witness testimony. It was initially shown that the culprit was hiding their faces.

De Santis started as a professional referee in 2017, making his Serie B debut as the fourth referee in a confrontation between club Pisa and Benevento that same year.

The head of the Italian Arbitration as‌sociation Marcello Nicchi has released a statement about the tragic death of referee De Santis. " I was very sho‌cked at this tragedy, " he told Gazzetto . We still know very little about the incident. What I can say is that we will be in close contact with our family and stakeholders to share and find the culprit soon . "

De Santis has refereed about 130 matches in Serie C and Serie D, and the president of the tournament Francesco Ghirelli gave sincere gratitude to this ill-fated referee. " Words cannot describe the grief of Pro Liga, officials, clubs and players over the unjust death of referee Daniele De Santis and fiancee Eleonora," he said. We remember his smile on the pitch and his passion for Serie C, where he sees as a family.

"Violence destroys, and it has taken the lives and dreams of two young people. It is the number one enemy that we must condemn and fight against at all costs. "