what is known about the case, in which the child’s stepfather was arrested

Shortly after the Kidnapping Alert system was triggered on Friday evening, the body of the 6-year-old girl was discovered in a wood in Seine-Maritime. The sole suspect was “found and arrested around 6 o’clock,” the gendarmerie announced on Saturday.

Célya, a 6-year-old girl, was found dead in a wood in Seine-Maritime, late in the evening of Friday, July 12, after the Kidnapping Alert system was triggered. The main suspect, her mother’s partner, was arrested early Saturday morning. The public prosecutor in Rouen will give a press conference at noon. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about this case

Célya’s mother raised the alarm

The girl’s mother alerted the police around 6 p.m. on Friday, franceinfo learned from the police. She reported being attacked by her partner, who fled with the child. The woman, aged 42, said she had left her house in Saint-Martin-de-l’If, about thirty kilometres northwest of Rouen, but that her 6-year-old daughter had stayed inside. When they arrived on the scene, the police found that the man had left, taking the girl with him. According to the police, Célya was then “potentially in danger”.

The gendarmes then deployed a large search force in Seine-Maritime and neighboring departments to block traffic routes. Around a hundred gendarmes were mobilized, as well as the mobile gendarmerie and several dog teams.

The Kidnapping Alert plan was triggered on Friday evening

The Child Abduction Alert system is triggered around 9:30 p.m. “Célya, aged 6, European type, mid-length dark brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a black unicorn dress, 1.10 m tall, disappeared from her home in Saint-Martin-de-l’If”we can read in the document released by the Ministry of the Interior. Information concerning the suspect also appears. “She is likely to have been abducted by her mother’s partner: 42-year-old man, 1.80 m tall, very thin build, brown hair, blue eyes, driving a navy blue Golf with registration number 7189 WM 76″the alert states.

Célya’s body discovered in the night

At 00:43, the Ministry of Justice announced on X that the “lifeless body” Célya’s has been found. The kidnapping alert has been lifted.

Shortly after 10 p.m., a “resident informed by the abduction alert, helped locate the vehicle”explained the public prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet. “The police search then led to the discovery of the child’s lifeless body in a wood near the vehicle.”he added.

The mother “who was the victim of the first violence, is currently hospitalized but his life is not in danger”the prosecutor further explained.

Suspect arrested Saturday morning

The man suspected of kidnapping and killing Célya was arrested and taken into custody a few hours later. “The police found and arrested the main suspect around 6 a.m.”the child’s mother’s partner, “near the place where his car was discovered, in a wood in Saint-Martin-de-l’If”the gendarmerie detailed on Saturday.

This man, who is known to the justice system, suffers from behavioral problems, a source close to the investigation told franceinfo. The couple had not been reported for domestic violence.