Investigation launched after 11-year-old French girl is discovered deceased close to school

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.

A girl named Louise went missing at around 2 p.m. on a Friday while she was heading home from André Maurois middle school in northern France, according to officials in Épinay-sur-Orge, a commune located south of Paris.

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

Authorities in a press release on Facebook expressed deep sorrow upon discovering Louise’s lifeless body that same night in the Bois des Templiers. They mentioned that as soon as her disappearance was reported, every effort was made to locate her.

Further developments on Monday led to the arrest of two individuals: a 23-year-old man and his 55-year-old mother, as reported by FranceInfo. The young man is suspected of being involved in Louise’s murder, while his mother is facing allegations of not reporting the 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.”

Police said the murder investigation is ongoing.