French girl, 11, found dead near school, murder investigation underway
An 11-year-old girl named Louise was tragically found dead in a wooded area near her school in Épinay-sur-Orge, France, just hours after she went missing. Louise disappeared around 2 p.m. on Friday while walking home from André Maurois middle school. The small commune of Épinay-sur-Orge is located south of Paris.
Search efforts were immediately launched, utilizing tracking dogs, helicopters, and drones. Eventually, Louise’s lifeless body was discovered in the Bois des Templiers. The police expressed their deep emotions upon finding her, stating that all resources were deployed to locate her as soon as she was reported missing.
An autopsy revealed that Louise had sustained multiple wounds inflicted by a sharp object. The Evry public prosecutor, Grégoire Dulin, confirmed the nature of her injuries, although a murder weapon had not been recovered at that time. The investigation was promptly opened for the murder of a minor under 15.
Authorities took a 23-year-old man into custody after security footage showed him walking behind Louise. His 20-year-old girlfriend was also detained but later released on Saturday. Subsequently, police made two additional arrests on Monday: a 23-year-old man suspected of Louise’s murder and his 55-year-old mother, who was accused of failing to report the crime.
Following the heartbreaking discovery, French Minister of Education Élisabeth Borne extended her condolences to Louise’s family, friends, classmates, and teachers. She expressed her reliance on investigators and the justice system to unravel the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.
The murder investigation is still ongoing, with authorities continuing their efforts to bring justice for Louise. The community remains in mourning as they grapple with the loss of a young life taken too soon.
