The suspect was indicted on Friday for her murder and rape, in circumstances described as “unbearable” by the Reims public prosecutor.
After the worry, the fear. A 57-year-old man arrested after the discovery of the lifeless body of Loana, a 10-year-old girl, was indicted on Friday October 20 for her murder and rape, in circumstances described as“unbearable” by the public prosecutor of Reims. The girl’s body was found Wednesday in the cellar of the building where the suspect lived in Sedan. She had been missing since the day before. Here is what we know about this affair.
A disappearance quickly reported
Loana disappeared Tuesday evening while returning from her college located in Vrigne-aux-Bois (Ardennes), about ten kilometers from Sedan. The young girl finished her journey home on foot, after taking the bus, according to France 3 Grand-Est. Her parents were worried about not seeing her return and called the police. Due to Loana’s age, highlights the daily The Ardennesa call for witnesses for a worrying disappearance was quickly launched in the local press.
In this appeal, the police specified that the 1m20 girl was wearing, when she disappeared, gray pants, a black coat and a pink jacket, as well as sneakers, a backpack and a white headband in her hair. It was ultimately a resident of the neighborhood who warned the authorities, claiming to have “saw the victim enter a town house on rue Saint-Michel”according to the police at franceinfo.
At the end of the day on Wednesday, the police went to the scene, in a building composed “a drinking establishment on the ground floor and adjoining accommodation upstairs”, according to the prosecutor. It was in the cellar of this accommodation that Loana’s body was finally found. According to police, his body was “wrapped in a sheet”under which the little girl was “naked and showed traces of violence..
A suspect indicted
The tenant of the premises, a 57-year-old man, was “immediately taken into custody”, according to the public prosecutor of Charlevilles-Mézière, Magali Josse. The magistrate specifies that the suspect was known for traffic offenses and had been sentenced in 2017 to a month’s suspended prison sentence for gang theft. During his hearing, the man delivered “spontaneously contradictory and fanciful statements”according to police.
According to the Reims public prosecutor, François Schneider, who took over the investigation, the accused mentioned “an accident”claiming that the little girl was “fell down the stairs”. The suspect knew the victim’s family, he added. He was indicted for his murder and rape and placed in pre-trial detention on Friday evening, prosecutor François Schneider told AFP.
The accused does not recognize the facts of murder, François Schneider had clarified, specifying that the child had been “hit numerous times in the face” and that these blows had led to death.
Broad support for the family
“I provide my support to his loved ones and to the people of Sedan affected by this terrible tragedy”reacted the mayor of the city, Didier Herbillon, on the social network. More than 200 people gathered early Thursday afternoon at the place where Loana was found, according to France 3, while a search took place at the same time in the presence of the suspect. Some verbally attacked him, calling him “garbage” And “assassin”. A police cordon blocked the way, but officers went to leave roses or stuffed animals brought by residents in front of the house, according to France Bleu.
In the crowd, there was Antoine, Loana’s half-brother, interviewed by France 3. “She’s my little sister. My stepfather called me the day before yesterday, he was worriedhe testified. I ran everywhere. I told him to go to the police station.” “We loved him”said a friend of Loana, upset, at the microphone of RMC, also present. “To think that we will never see her again at the bus stop leaves a void. She waited for us every morning, every day, we talked, we had a little moment between us.” Help and psychological support have also been put in place for Loana’s family.