An 11-year-old schoolgirl was found murdered in a wood south of Paris over the weekend, triggering outrage and a major search for evidence that may lead to the culprit.
Police said the teenager was discovered stabbed to death in the Essonne area south of Paris on Friday to Saturday night. She has gone missing since leaving school on Friday afternoon.
According to a police source, who asked not to be named, she had been “hit more than 10 times by an object that could have been a knife”, particularly in the torso and neck.
A couple in their twenties was held on Saturday as part of the inquiry, but they were released with no further action taken, according to authorities.
While the circumstances of the homicide are unknown, it is associated with law and order, namely criminality against minors, which are big topics in French politics and society.
“An innocent life was torn away from life and the love of her family. We are in the process of the investigation, but sadness and anger are overwhelming every French person,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
Some 120 members of the security forces were deployed on Sunday at the Longjumeau wood where the body was found, seeking any clue that could lead police to the perpetrator, prosecutors said.
The search ended at nightfall, according to police.
