Disappearance of Elodia Ghinescu

The disappearance of Elodia Ghinescu was a heavily covered missing-person-become-murder case in Romania; according to several news sources, it was the most covered case of this kind in the history of mass media in the country.[1][2][3][4]

Elodia Ghinescu
Born
Romania
Disappeared30 August 2007
StatusMissing for 16 years, 1 month and 27 days, declared dead in absentia
NationalityRomanian
Occupationlawyer
Known forbeing a person who is the subject of the most covered case of this kind in the history of mass media in the country of Romania
PartnerCristian Cioacă
Children1

Background

Ghinescu was a lawyer, for whose disappearance and alleged murder in August of 2007 her husband, policeman Cristian Cioacă, was arrested on December 5, 2012. The two got married on July 18, 2004 and had a baby boy named Patrick in January 2005. Cioacă was sentenced on July 2, 2013 to 22 years in jail, although he continues to maintain his innocence. The case is still undergoing the appeals process; most recently, on December 3, 2013, the High Court of Cassation and Justice decided that Cioacă should remain in custody while the appeals are ongoing.[5]

According to the prosecution, the motive for the murder was jealousy caused by an extramarital affair that Ghinescu had; her disappearance occurred right after she returned from a trip to Dubai with her alleged lover, a former SPP officer,[6] who testified in court to their relationship. Cioacă examined her e-mails to search for evidence that she was cheating, without her permission.[7] He tried to hide the blood stains from their apartment by painting the walls. A dirty police uniform, pictures with Ghinescu and her son, a parfume bottle and a pair of blood-stained gloves were found on 8 October, somewhere between Poiana Brasov and Râşnov. She was officially declared missing on February 12, 2009.[8]

Although Ghinescu's body was never found, the prosecution invoked forensic evidence, including blood droplets found in the couple's apartment and on a number of objects formerly found in the apartment, later discovered in a ravine.[6]

Media coverage

Several television stations were officially warned by the National Audiovisual Council (the Romanian telecommunications agency) for their inappropriate coverage of the case,[9][10] and some of them, including OTV and Curier TV, were fined for their unbalanced coverage.[11][12]

The 2009 Media Sustainability Index noted that "From 2007 to 2008, OTV organized several hundred so-called episodes about the disappearance of Elodia Ghinescu, a lawyer who married a police officer. In one episode, Diaconescu [the OTV owner/host] instigated a hacker to break into Ghinescu’s e-mail inbox and show her personal messages on the air. Meanwhile, the mainstream media took over the case and followed OTV’s example in revealing personal details about her family."[13]

Indeed, while OTV profited greatly from the cases, doubling its viewing numbers a few months after beginning to cover the disappearance, more established channels also contributed to the media circus. Pro TV launched a screenwriting contest named "Elodia's Enigma", promising to turn the winning entry into a film, with over 2000 people submitting their version.[14][15]

Reactions

Ghinescu became a popular icon, although she continues to be missing. She has been described as becoming a part of Romanian folklore or even "being turned into a brand". A browser game with the title "Find Elodia!" enjoyed popularity, while her disappearance even became the subject of stadium chants at football matches.[15]

Writer Radu Paraschivescu described the Ghinescu case having become "the codename for a massive operation of prostituting the idea of television".[16]

See also

References
  1. Şase ani de la dispariţia avocatei Elodia Ghinescu: cel mai mediatizat eveniment din România ultimilor ani | adevarul.ro
  2. ÎȚI ÎNGHEAȚĂ SÂNGELE ÎN VENE! Uite cum arată apartamentul ELODIEI GHINESCU, după perchezițiile anchetatorilor | Libertatea.ro
  3. Cioacă, condamnat la 22 de ani de închisoare / Elodia, cel mai medi
  4. Elodia Ghinescu, mesaj pentru iubit înainte de dispariție: „Îmi vine să mă ascund într-un fund de lume şi să nu mai ies”
  5. UPDATE VIDEO Cristian Cioacă vrea în libertate. Curtea Supremă a decis ca poliţistul să rămână în arest | adevarul.ro
  6. "Cioacă a fost CONDAMNAT la 22 de ani de închisoare pentru uciderea Elodiei". Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  7. VIDEO UPDATE Fostul ofiţer SPP Cristian Ilie a confirmat în faţa magistraţilor de la Tribunalul Piteşti că a avut o relaţie cu Elodia Ghinescu | adevarul.ro
  8. D.G. (12 February 2019). "Elodia Ghinescu, declarata oficial disparuta". HotNews. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  9. CNA a atenţionat şapte televiziuni pentru reconstituiri ale uciderii Elodiei
  10. Antena 1, somată pentru încălcarea prezumţiei de nevinovăţie a lui Cristian Cioacă - Mediafax
  11. OTV da bani grei la CNA pentru serialul Elodia
  12. "CNA taie amenzi în cazul Cioacă-Elodia | REALITATEA .NET". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  13. MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009, p. 89
  14. "Fenomenul "Elodia", după doi ani". Adevărul. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  15. "Istoria unui caz devenit folclor. Cum a ajuns Elodia un brand, iar Cioaca vedeta in intreaga tara". Știrile PRO TV. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  16. Fenomenul „Elodia“, după doi ani | adevarul.ro

Press coverage in includes numerous articles in the Romanian press and TV. This is just a sample from those sources that are better organized (using tags):

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