Investigation7 min read

The Arrest of Danilo Restivo

October 16, 2026 · Cory

When police found 48-year-old Heather Barnett in her bathroom in 2002, her killer had left approximately 30 strands of her own hair in her left hand. In her right hand, resting on her lower belly, the killer had placed nine-centimeter strands of light brown hair that belonged to someone else. The scene in Bournemouth, England, was highly organized. The killer had removed Barnett's breasts and placed them beside her head, but left no fingerprints behind. The front door was unlocked, the radio was playing, and there were no signs of forced entry.

The investigation into Barnett's death eventually connected to a case from nearly a decade earlier. In 1993, a 16-year-old girl named Elisa Claps vanished in Potenza, Italy. The man who was the last to see her alive lived directly across the street from Barnett. His name is Danilo Restivo. The record shows a trail of altered documents, covert surveillance, and forensic analysis that took years to assemble.

The Disappearance of Elisa Claps

Danilo Restivo grew up in Potenza, Italy. People in the city were aware that he had a fetish for cutting girls' hair, a habit that mostly took place during bus rides and earned him the nickname "il parrucchiere," or the hairdresser. In 1986, Restivo tied up two children before cutting one with a knife. He was not convicted, as his parents settled matters with the other children's parents. In the autumn of 1992, he was convicted of harassing four girls who lived opposite his family home. He made regular phone calls to their house, playing the soundtrack of the film Deep Red and Beethoven's Für Elise.

Elisa Claps was a 16-year-old student who friends said felt sorry for Restivo. A month before she disappeared, she saw him while on holiday in Montegiordano. Her older brother, Gildo, told Restivo to go away after noticing Restivo being insistent with her. On September 11, 1993, Restivo called Claps at approximately 17:00 and asked for a date, pretending he had a gift for her. She agreed to meet him the next day at the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità.

Claps arrived at the church at approximately 11:30 a.m. on September 12. She never returned home. That day at lunch, the then-boyfriend of Restivo's sister, Giovanni Motta, noticed Restivo was very sweaty and agitated. Motta accompanied Restivo to the hospital for a one-centimeter cut between his first finger and thumb. Restivo claimed he fell on an escalator. Motta stated that Restivo's jacket looked very dirty and soaked with blood. The priest in charge of the church, Domenico Sabia, suddenly left for some days and took the only key to the upper storey. Restivo told police he spoke with Claps for 15 minutes before she left. In 1996, Restivo was convicted of giving false information regarding the disappearance and sentenced to 20 months, but because short sentences are suspended in Italy, he remained free.

The Move to Bournemouth

In March 2002, Restivo arrived in England to move in with Fiamma Marsango, an Italian woman he met in an internet chatroom. They married at the end of 2004 and lived at 93 Chatsworth Road. Their house was approximately 20 yards directly across from the home of Heather Barnett, who lived at 211 Capstone Road with her two children, Terry and Caitlin. Barnett worked from her ground floor flat as a seamstress.

On November 6, 2002, Restivo visited Barnett's flat. He stated that he wanted a set of custom curtains made for his wife as a Christmas present. At that time, Barnett's spare key went missing, forcing her to change the locks. In an email to her sister, Barnett explained that a client who wanted custom curtains had visited and she suspected he had taken the keys.

Barnett also took a note to Restivo's address asking if he had located the keys. She wrote that she had a spare door key out on a table and thought he must have picked it up inadvertently. Terry later recalled that the keys went missing after an Italian man named Danny had visited the address.

The Morning of November 12

On the morning of November 12, 2002, Barnett awoke at 05:00 GMT. She took her children to the nearby Summerbee School at 08:30 GMT. At 08:37 GMT, CCTV captured her white Fiat Punto turning into her road. She was bludgeoned to death inside her home shortly after returning. Between 10:56 and 16:16, four phone calls to the house went unanswered.

Caitlin arrived home from school just before 16:00 GMT. The radio was still on, and Barnett's sewing machine was knocked over. Caitlin found her mother on the bathroom floor. Terry looked into the bathroom, saw blood everywhere, and realized it was not an accident. The children fled the house hysterically. A car pulled up with Restivo and Marsango, who took the children to their house across the road to wait for the police.

Terry called emergency services and told the operator his mother had been murdered. He stated she was lying in the bathroom and had pieces cut off her. Police arrived just after 16:00 GMT. Sergeant Paul Vacher entered the property and secured the scene. Pathologist Allen Anscombe arrived at 20:45 GMT and recorded Barnett's body temperature as 26 degrees. He estimated the time of death was likely much nearer to 08:30 than to 16:00.

The Crime Scene Evidence

Anscombe's post mortem examination revealed 10 separate injuries to Barnett's head. One injury penetrated her skull, revealing brain tissue. The weapon was determined to be a high input energy object, most likely a hammer. Her airway was completely cut across from ear to ear. A shallow knife cut ran down her abdomen for 24 centimeters. Anscombe noted the lack of bleeding from some wounds indicated they occurred after she died.

Forensic scientist Geoffrey Robinson found no signs of forced entry. He determined Barnett was likely close to the floor when attacked. Blood spatter and drag marks showed she was dragged from the sewing room, past a settee, and into the bathroom. Robinson found contact stains on the inside of Barnett's knickers. Microscopic examination revealed a pattern from a knitted garment. Fibers matching this pattern were found in blood on the bathroom door handle. Robinson hypothesized the killer placed a bloodstained dark blue-black acrylic glove inside her underwear.

Police utilized Luminol and found a fine spray of blood near the patio doors. Footprints in blood became progressively fainter toward a chair, implying the attacker changed shoes. Forensic scientist Andrew Sweeting took impressions from the lino. Detectives identified the footwear as a size 9.5 to 10.5 Nike Terra trainer. The killer left a green towel stained with blood that did not belong to Barnett.

The Nacro Log Book

Restivo was taken to Bournemouth Police station on the evening of November 12. Fiamma translated for him. Restivo produced a bus ticket stamped 08:44 a.m. from Richmond Park Road. He told police he took a bus to a computer course at the Lion Works building on Wallisdown Road, run by the crime-reduction charity Nacro. He stated he remained there until 15:45. Police seized his computer the next day.

On November 17, police attended Restivo's address to collect DNA samples. They located a pair of Restivo's trainers soaking in bleach in the bath. Restivo claimed he was simply cleaning the shoes. Police also found CCTV footage of a suspect walking past the Richmond Arms Pub on Charminster Road at 09:30 a.m. on the day of the murder.

In May 2003, police reviewed Barnett's computer and found the email about the missing keys. They visited Nacro and examined a log book students used to sign out floppy disks. The log book showed that the original time Restivo signed out a disk on the morning of the murder was 10:28. That time had been crossed out and replaced with 09:00. Police suspected Restivo altered the log to support his alibi.

Surveillance in the Woods

In mid 2003, after discovering Restivo's link to the Elisa Claps disappearance, detectives regarded him as the chief suspect. There was not sufficient evidence for a prosecution at that time. In March 2004, police placed Restivo under surveillance using electronic tracking and listening devices. Covert recording in June 2004 captured Restivo saying, "When I touch the hair, hold them in the hand, then everything is visible, everything."

From late April to early May 2004, Detective Sergeant Robert Lee observed Restivo walking aimlessly around Throop Mill and Pig Shoot Lane. Officers watched from a van with a one-way mirror. Restivo parked his white Metro car, put on gloves, and pulled his hood tight around his face. On April 5, he observed women at the Throop Mill car park.

On May 11, surveillance teams watched Restivo observe females in Pig Shoot Lane. He changed from one identical shirt to another and changed his shoes. He was seen bending down as a woman walked past. On May 12, a uniformed patrol stopped him on a pretext of investigating car thefts. PC Ian Fryett noted Restivo was sweating profusely and appeared quite agitated.

Where the Case Stands

Restivo remained free for years after the surveillance operations. In 2010, the body of Elisa Claps was discovered in Italy. Following this discovery, Restivo was tried for the murder of Heather Barnett in the United Kingdom.

During the trial, the English court heard evidence regarding the similarities in the ritualistic placing of hair on the bodies of Claps and Barnett.

As of 2010, Restivo was found guilty of murdering Barnett. He is serving a life sentence with a 40-year tariff. He was later found guilty by an Italian court for the murder of Elisa Claps. He is additionally suspected of committing at least six or seven further murders.