The badly-burnt body of a 20-year-old man was on Thursday evening discovered in a furnace in a garage in Damaskus Street, Bugibba.

Gaetano Romano, who used to live a block away from the garage, was found by his father who came back to Malta from Italy after repeated attempts to make contact with his son over the previous days proved futile.

Sources said that the victim had six nails embedded in his head, while his body was found in the furnace, badly burnt, of the garage used as a shop of the company Cinque Stelle, which sold ceramics, gypsum and offered services in relation to interior design, tiling and soffits. The company is owned by the victim’s father, Nicola, an Italian while his mother, of Maltese nationality, died about eight years ago.

After forcing open the shop, Mr Romano discovered the severely burnt corpse of his son in the furnace.

Some months ago, Gaetano and his father received photos of their butchered pet dog, which had been abducted previously, the sources added.

The premises are situated a block away from the cinema in Bugibba and close to a number of bars and pubs.

The autopsy held yesterday morning proved inconclusive, the police said in a statement.

Gaetano had only turned 20 last Wednesday, The Malta Independent has learnt. Friends’ comments on the popular utility site Facebook described the man as “a super star on earth (and) now the brightest star in the sky”. Many also said that he will be “greatly missed” and “never forgotten”.

This is the first homicide of the year and the second one to have taken place in St Paul’s Bay within the space of four months.

Thirty-one-year-old Renzo Borg of Birkirkara died in hospital from firearm injuries on Thursday 11 December. The man was found unconscious on the pavement in Triq il-Hagra l-Wieqfa, St Paul’s Bay, near the Simar nature reserve in Xemxija, after the police were tipped off at about 11.30pm.

Duty Magistrate Giovanni Grixti was informed of the Romano case and appointed several experts to assist in an inquiry.

Investigations are being led by district police together with Criminal Investigation Police.