Death of little Célya: stabbings at the time of the kidnapping, her stepfather arrested

The 6-year-old girl disappeared this Friday, July 12, shortly before 6 p.m., from her home in Seine-Maritime. His mother's companion allegedly assaulted him. stabbings at the time of his kidnapping. He was é stop…

Célya, the six-year-old girl who went missing late yesterday in Seine-Maritime, was found dead in a wood, near the vehicle of her alleged kidnapper, aged 42, the public prosecutor's office said overnight. Shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, the Ministry of Justice announced on his X account the discovery of the little girl's lifeless body and the lifting of the kidnapping alert system triggered the day before. The suspect, actively sought, was finally arrested this Saturday morning by the police.

"The gendarmes foundé and arrested around 6 o'clock the main accused à proximity from the place of discovery of his car, in a wood of Saint-Martin-de-l'If", detailed Saturday the police. He was é placed in custody &agrav; view. Significant gendarmerie resources had been taken into custody. deployed for active research of the alleged author. of the facts, the companion of the victim's mother, indicated in a press release that published Saturday the prosecutor Fr&déric Teillet, present on site. He had calledé the inhabitants of Saint-Martin-de-l'If (Seine-Maritime), where the drama unfolded, "the greatest vigilance" and "any person likely to contribute à the investigation or the questioning is invited to dial 17." A photo had also been posted. published by the gendarmerie.

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Photo released by the National Gendarmerie on July 12, 2024 of the companion of Célya's mother. © National Gendarmerie

A knife attack at the time of the kidnapping

The kidnapping alert had been raised. triggered this Friday July 12 in the middle of the evening. The little girl had been last seen her home, a little before 6 p.m. "Célya, aged 6 , European type, brown hair dark atain mid-length, brown eyes, wearing a black unicorn dress, measuring 1.10 m, disappeared from her home in Saint-Martin-de-l'If", à about twenty km northwest of Rouen, indicated the press release; of the kidnapping alert. "She is likely to have beené kidnapped by her mother's companion: older man 42 years old, 1.80 m, very lean build, brown hair, blue eyes, moving around and around. aboard a navy blue Golf registered 7189 WM 76", pursued the gendarmes.

It was the mother who called the police around 6 p.m. on Friday to say that she had just been attacked with a knife by her partner, a source within the police told AFP. She said she had managed to get out of her house but that her partner, who is not the child's father, was still there with the little girl. “Célya's mother, who was victim of the first violence, is currently hospitalized but his life is not in danger,” the Rouen prosecutor had specified in his press release.

A suspect known for behavioral problems

According to a source close to the investigation, the mother stated when she called the police that her child had also been stabbed. When they arrived at the home, the police found that it was empty of any occupants. More than a hundred gendarmes from Seine-Maritime and neighboring departments were subsequently mobilized, as well as mobile gendarmes, a dog team and a helicopter.

"A little after 10 p.m., a local resident informed by the kidnapping alert helped locate the vehicle of the alleged kidnapper. The gendarmes' searches then led to “the discovery of the child's lifeless body in a wood near the vehicle,” reported Frédéric Teillet. The couple had not been reported for domestic violence. But according to the source close to the investigation, the man was known to the justice system as well as for behavioral problems.