The charred body of Luigi "Luca" Esposito, a 53-year-old sports journalist, was found on the night between Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July 2026 in an isolated agricultural area in contrada Bivio Cioffi, near State Road 7 bis in the municipality of Eboli, Salerno province. The discovery was made during firefighting operations for a blaze that had broken out among vegetation: firefighters called to extinguish the flames found the body among the scorched vegetation.

The area was immediately secured by carabinieri from the Eboli company, personnel from the Scientific Investigation Section of Salerno, a forensic doctor, and the Prosecutor's Office, which launched investigations. The victim was identified thanks to the discovery, nearby, of a car registered to the journalist. Further tests for definitive identification were still underway in the days following the discovery.

Investigators ruled out the hypothesis of a simple accident. The main lead being followed is that of homicide: according to investigators, Esposito was likely killed, possibly by gunshot, and his body was subsequently set on fire in an attempt to destroy potential evidence. The autopsy, aimed at clarifying the precise cause of death and the dynamics of events, was scheduled for Tuesday 21 July.

The investigation is being conducted by carabinieri from the Eboli and Salerno companies, coordinated by the Salerno Prosecutor's Office led by Raffaele Cantone. Lines of inquiry include personal matters, possible financial issues, a potential crime of passion, and conflicts arising in the workplace. One of the hypotheses considered most plausible is that the killer was in the car with the victim.

Luigi Esposito, originally from Nocera Inferiore but residing in Fisciano, was known primarily in the local sports community. He directed the news website TuttoSalernitana and collaborated with broadcaster OttoChannel, the newspaper La Città, and Il Mattino, for which he covered Nocerina. He also followed Juve Stabia in Serie B and local Serie C teams. He was also a television commentator. Holding degrees in biology and literature, he had approximately 15,000 followers on Instagram.

One aspect being investigated concerns Esposito's alleged employment at Arpac, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Campania. The journalist told acquaintances and colleagues that he was a manager at Arpac, carrying out inspections of buffalo mozzarella producers, first in the Avellino area and later in the Caserta area. However, Arpac issued an official statement clarifying that Esposito "does not appear to hold an employment relationship with Arpac, neither as an employee nor as a manager" and that "no professional relationship exists between the agency and Esposito." According to a judicial source, Arpac does have someone with the same name on its staff, but it is not the journalist. One of Esposito's sisters told Tg1 that her brother had told her he had worked at Arpac in the past.

The sister also described the 53-year-old as a person of calm character with no enemies. Esposito was single and did not have daily contact with his two sisters. During summer weekends he would retreat to a property in Agropoli. His last social media post dated to 27 June.