vatican
The Vatican. Photo for illustrative purposes.

Vatican City: The Vatican says two tombs will be opened at the request of the family of a teen who disappeared in 1983.

The case of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who never returned from a music lesson in Rome, is one of Italy's most persistent mysteries.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Tuesday that Orlandi's relatives and lawyers for the family and the Holy See will be present when the graves are opened on July 11 in the Teutonic Cemetery in the Vatican.

The cold case gained new attention in recent months following an anonymous tip about where Orlandi could be buried. The Vatican didn't say to whom the two tombs belong.

Orlandi's family has long demanded to see Vatican documentation about the mystery.