Missing Girl, 11, Found Dead in Wooded Area Near Her School, Police Open Murder Investigation

Mar. 15, 2025

Louise Lasalle.Photo:Epinay-sur-Orge/Facebook

Epinay-sur-Orge/Facebook

Police have reportedly opened a murder investigation after the body of a missing 11-year-old girl was found in the woods of northern France.

According to French news outletsLe Parisien,RTLandFranceInfo, police said that Lasalle was walking home from her middle school on Friday afternoon, Feb. 7. At around 1:50 p.m. local time, the middle schooler’s parents contacted police to report that she had not made it home, as her walk typically only took 10 minutes.

Louise Lasalle.Epinay-sur-Orge/Facebook

Lasalle’s older sister shared a post on social media asking for the public’s help in searching for her, perLe Parisien, and said that she was last seen crossing a street in the neighboring town of Longjumeau, where Lasalle’s family lives.

By 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 8, police had located Lasalle’s body, the outlets reported. An autopsy was conducted later that day, and a source told FranceInfo that the victim had been stabbed several times, but an official cause of death had not been made available.

“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 shared on Facebook. “As soon as her disappearance was reported, all means were deployed to try to find her.”

A memorial for Louise Lasalle, set up outside of her middle school in Epinay-sur-Orge, France.JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty

JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty

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According to FranceInfo, police later detained a 23-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman after the man was seen in security footage walking behind Lasalle. Per the outlet, the man — whose name has not been made public — was already known to local authorities. He and the 20-year-old woman, identified as his partner, were at his home when police knocked on the door just after midnight.

The parents of the 20-year-old woman denied that she was involved in the incident at all, and police released the couple from custody later on Feb. 8, perLe Parisien.

According to FranceInfo, the area’s public prosecutor, Grégoire Dulin, said that authorities had opened an investigation for the “murder of a minor under 15,” and that the Versailles judicial police had taken over the case.

Police officers stand near the spot where the 11-year-old’s body was found.JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty

“The investigation is ongoing and it is essential to let the police and justice forces do their work. Faced with this horrible tragedy, we join in the family’s pain,” police added in their press release. “Let us collectively ensure that we respect their grief with dignity.”

FranceInfo reported that a church service was held in honor of Lasalle on Feb. 8.

“I am counting on investigators and the justice system to shed light on this tragedy,” she added.

source: people.com