"Daouda's case can't remain unsolved. A man can't just disappear into nothing without leaving a trace. We are waiting for the prosecutors to come up with an explanation as to what happened."

That's what Michele Mililli, the head of the regional Usb (Unione Sindacale di base) union, told the regional Italian newspaper La Sicilia when asked about Daouda Diane, who had been a member of the union as part of his work as a cultural mediator -- before he went missing.

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The 36-year-old was seen for the last time at a cement factory in the town of Acate, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily on July 2, 2022. To date, his case remains open.

Diane was first reported as missing on July 4 by members of the cooperative where he worked, reports La Sicilia, which has been following the case with great intent ever since Diane went missing.

His friends, reports La Sicilia, are convinced that Diane had no motive to just disappear. He had already bought a ticket back to Ivory Coast for July 21, and was reportedly looking forward to seeing his wife and eight-year-old child who he hadn't seen in at least four years.

'Investigations in all directions'

Diane was hoping his family would finally be able to join him in Italy, and had been working hard to achieve this. According to the Carabinieri's investigations, he had been sending money to his wife Awa back home.

Some cash was later also found at his flat; it is presumed that he was going to take this with him when he traveled.

But last July, La Sicilia reported that Diane never boarded that plane or used his ticket.

"We have conducted investigations in all directions, we conducted accurate technical inquiries. Nothing has emerged that can lead us to a precise path. All hypotheses are still open," explained Ragusa Prosecutor Fabio D'Anna, who has been investigating the case.

'Here people die'

Some witnesses interviewed by the investigators reported seeing him at a local cement factory in Acate on July 2, 2022. Video footage allegedly recorded shortly before his disappearance, appears to show him in the same place.

"The investigations never stopped: we went from searching in the cement factory and homes ... to cell phones, computers, and clothes. Nothing has emerged that could provide any clue," said Prosecutor D'Anna.

In the video, Diane is reportedly pictured inside the factory, not wearing any protective clothing and showing people the factory before commenting "here people die."

It is not clear what Diane was doing inside the factory. The owners of the cement factory have continually denied that Diane was in any way employed there; they say, however, that Diane had enquired whether he could work at the factory but had been denied.

He then reportedly tried to make himself useful by doing small jobs around the place. Eventually, reports Italian news agency ANSA, it seems that Diane was allowed to sweep the courtyard in front of the factory.

On the day of his disappearance, reports La Sicilia, Diane is supposed to have told his flatmates that he was going to work at the cement factory.

The prosecutor says that he has interviewed at least two witnesses who said that they saw Diane leave the cement factory later. But on the road that leads to the factory, there are no CCTV cameras to back this up.

No one has seen him since.

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The family at the heart of the investigation

According to ANSA, Diane is not believed to have returned home that night, where his money, documents, clothes, and passport were later found.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has since opened a homicide case, with the list of suspects including Carmelo Longo, the owner of the cement factory, Sgv, in Acate -- along with his wife and son. None of them have any prior convictions or police records.

Mirko La Martina, the lawyer for the Lungo family, said that "various investigative paths" remained open in the Diane case, highlighting that since Diane had last been seen at the factory, it was important for authorities to look into his client's family in order to "exclude beyond any reasonable doubt the family's and factory's involvement."

"In fact, they were the ones to ask to carry out all needed verifications," La Martina said about the Lungo family.

"The press and public opinion focused almost exclusively on the cement factory where the man was the morning he went missing, but there are other paths to follow and investigate," La Martina further stressed, adding that investigators had "gone through the factory, the homes, the cell phones, computers, vehicles, and even the clothes with a fine-tooth comb.

"Nothing at all has emerged. This is why other paths must also be looked into," he reiterated.

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'We won't rest until we get justice'

The focus of the investigation is now back on the video, which Diane allegedly had sent to his brother in Ivory Coast and his flatmate on the morning of his disappearance.

La Martina believes that the video might hold significant clues. In it, Diane is heard referring to Africans who work in Europe, using the Ivorian word for that.

"It would be important to know who he was referring to in the video," the lawyer said, adding that Diane "was the subject of an ongoing legal process, as the victim of threats against him by another foreigner. This too is an element that should be the object of attention."

The inquiry appears to have stalled for the moment, but authorities say they will continue to investigate every aspect: "We are working without leaving any stone unturned," D'Anna explained, adding that police were "conducting inquiries in multiple directions."

Union head Mililli meanwhile told La Sicilia that it was important to keep the conversation on Diane's fate going: "We just need to keep the public's focus on this case."

"We won't rest until we get justice."

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