French girl, 11, found dead near school, murder investigation underway

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An 11-year-old girl in France was found dead in a wooded area near her school hours after she went missing, officials said Saturday.

The girl, identified as Louise, disappeared around 2 p.m. Friday while on her way home from André Maurois middle school in northern France, officials in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge said. Épinay-sur-Orge is located south of Paris.

Investigators searched the woods using tracking dogs, helicopters and drones before eventually finding the girl’s body, Le Parisien reported. 

“It was with great emotion that we learned that Louise’s body had been found lifeless that night, in the Bois des Templiers,” police wrote in French in a press release posted on Facebook. “As soon as her disappearance was reported, all means were deployed to try to find her.”

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Louise, 11, vanished while on her way home from middle school on Friday afternoon in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge, officials said. Searchers discovered her body in a wooded area hours later. (Épinay-sur-Orge / Facebook)

An autopsy determined she suffered “numerous wounds committed with a sharp object,” said Grégoire Dulin, the Evry public prosecutor, per Le Parisien. A murder weapon was not immediately recovered.

This photograph shows a white rose and a picture of Louise, an 11-year-old girl found murdered in a wooded area, at a memorial in front of the Andre Maurois secondary school in Epinay-sur-Orge, on Saturday. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Dulin said authorities had opened an investigation for the “murder of a minor under 15.” 

Police detained a 23-year-old man, who was seen on security footage walking behind Louise, and his 20-year-old girlfriend, according to French news outlets. Police released the pair from custody later Saturday.

Police officers stand guard next to police caution tape in the area of the “parc des Templiers” in Longjumeau near Epinay-sur-Orge on Saturday after the body of an 11-year-old girl was discovered. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

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On Monday, police made two new arrests: a 23-year-old man and his 55-year-old mother, FranceInfo reported. The 23-year-old is suspected of murdering Louise, while his mother is accused of failing to report a crime.

French Minister of Education Élisabeth Borne issued a statement on X regarding the child’s death.

“Following the discovery of the body of young Louise last night in Essonne, I offer my condolences to her family, her loved ones, her classmates and her teachers,” she wrote in French. “I am counting on investigators and the justice system to shed light on this tragedy.”

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Police said the murder investigation is ongoing.