A newlywed couple reportedly expecting their first child have died after their small fishing boat collided with a water taxi in the Venice Lagoon, leaving investigators to reconstruct a pre-dawn crash in one of the city’s busiest waterways.
The body of 26-year-old Gabriella Querino Elorriaga was found near Campalto on Tuesday morning, September 15, ending a search that had continued for approximately 72 hours. Her husband, Sean Michieli, 25, suffered devastating head injuries and was later declared dead at dell’Angelo Hospital in Mestre.
The couple had married in a civil ceremony in Venice on June 8, 2026. Local Italian reports said they were expecting their first child, adding another painful dimension to a tragedy that has shaken Sean’s home community of Burano.
Venice mayor Simone Venturini confirmed that the body found in the lagoon was Gabriella’s. He said the discovery had extinguished the final hope of finding her alive and offered the city’s condolences to both families.
The remains were taken from Campalto to a mortuary for examination by a medical specialist. Gabriella’s relatives were travelling from Brazil to Venice as authorities continued the formal identification and investigative process.
Handbag found near the wreckage
The collision happened shortly before 6am on Saturday, September 12, off the island of Tessera and close to Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Gabriella and Sean had reportedly left Burano at about 5am to search for bait. Sean came from a fishing family and worked harvesting clams around Cavallino-Treporti. Gabriella, originally from Ribeirão Preto in Brazil, had become involved in the family’s fishing work after moving to Italy nearly three years earlier.
The couple’s small boat collided with a much larger water taxi in the Tessera channel. The fishing vessel sank following the impact, while Sean was recovered with critical injuries and taken to hospital.
Gabriella could not initially be located. A handbag containing her documents and personal belongings was subsequently recovered from the lagoon bed near the crash site, providing investigators with evidence that she had been aboard the boat.
Firefighters recovered the sunken vessel on Saturday evening. Divers from the regional fire service, helicopters, water-rescue specialists, police and coastguard personnel then searched the surrounding lagoon.
A report of a possible body near Fondamenta Nove on Monday evening prompted further searches. Gabriella was ultimately found the following morning near the small island of Campalto after a person in the area noticed a body in the water and alerted the authorities.
The recovery was confirmed in reporting by Il Resto del Carlino, which said her body was transferred for a medical examination as relatives travelled to Venice.
Investigators are also expected to speak with Gabriella’s family about her final hours. Italian reports said she had mentioned a disagreement with Sean the day before the accident but that the couple later reconciled.
Police continue to treat the fatal collision as the principal explanation for their deaths. No evidence has been presented suggesting that either member of the couple was responsible for harming the other.
Two American passengers sought as witnesses
The Venice prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into suspected nautical homicide. A 38-year-old Venetian water-taxi driver has been placed under investigation, although that procedural step does not establish criminal responsibility.
Prosecutor Daniela Moroni has reportedly ordered technical examinations of the recovered fishing boat. Specialists are expected to study the vessels’ speed, direction of travel, damage and impact pattern to establish exactly how the collision occurred.
Investigators are also attempting to locate two American tourists who were passengers in the water taxi. They were reportedly travelling with luggage and boarding documents for a flight back to the United States.
After the crash, the tourists transferred to another water taxi and continued towards the airport on the advice of emergency personnel. Their testimony could provide an independent account of the collision and the response immediately afterwards.
Sky TG24 reported that investigators want to question the passengers as they reconstruct events in the Tessera channel.
The driver told local media that he did not see the smaller boat before the impact. He said he heard the collision, stopped and found the fishing boat sinking with Sean injured nearby. He also maintained that Gabriella was not visible in the water.
His account, including the claim that the fishing boat crossed his path suddenly, has not been independently established. Investigators will compare it with physical evidence, technical assessments and witness testimony.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Sean as part of the investigation. Gabriella’s medical examination will also be important in establishing her precise cause of death and addressing questions about the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The deaths mark a second devastating lagoon tragedy for the Michieli family. In 2007, Sean’s 19-year-old uncle Endrius died when his small boat collided with a fuel-carrying vessel near Fondamenta Nove during severe weather.
The collision also renews scrutiny of speed, visibility and navigation in Italian waters. Similar questions about decision-making and maritime safety have emerged during the investigation into the Bayesian superyacht disaster off Sicily.
For the families of Gabriella and Sean, the technical investigation follows an immeasurable personal loss. The couple had been married for only three months and were building a life around the lagoon when their early-morning fishing journey ended in tragedy.
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