The theory of an alleged beating of Marco Pantani has also failed to find any supporting evidence. The Rimini Prosecutor’s Office has filed a new addendum to its request to close the latest investigation into the death of the champion cyclist, who was found lifeless on 14 February 2004 at the Le Rose residence in Rimini.
Prosecutor Luca Bertuzzi has submitted an additional note to preliminary investigations judge Raffaele Deflorio, supplementing the request already presented in February 2024. The latest inquiries focused in particular on statements made by an inmate at Rimini prison, reported to a prison police officer.
According to that account, Pantani was allegedly beaten over a purported drug debt of around 260,000 euros. This was a detail on which the cyclist’s family, represented by lawyer Fiorenzo Alessi, had requested further investigation.
The Prosecutor’s Office subsequently tasked the Carabinieri with additional checks. The inquiries, carried out between February and June 2026, also led to the questioning of the inmate and the prison officer. However, according to what has emerged, no evidence was found capable of supporting the beating scenario.
Hence the addendum to the case-closing request. It is now expected that the preliminary investigations judge will set a hearing date to examine the Prosecutor’s request. This marks the third investigation conducted in Rimini in more than twenty years into Pantani’s death.
