May 26, 11:36 AM
French Teenagers in Custody After 12-Year-Old Found Dead With Towel Around Neck
Sixteen-year-old boy arrested Monday morning; girl later turns herself in as divers search Vilaine River for clues in Rennes death.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and a teenage girl is in custody after the death of a 12-year-old boy in the French city of Rennes. The public prosecutor confirmed that both minors are now being held as part of an ongoing investigation into what happened on Sunday late afternoon.
The boy was arrested on Monday morning. Shortly afterward, a teenage girl turned herself in to police. Both have been taken into custody, according to the Rennes public prosecutor. For the time being, authorities have not clarified how the tragedy unfolded or what connection exists between the three minors.
The public prosecutor's office immediately opened an investigation for the murder of a child under the age of 15. The case has been entrusted to the organized and specialised crime division. Significant resources remain deployed at the scene. Fire brigade divers are currently searching the Vilaine River for evidence. The district is usually quiet, but residents are now in shock and struggling to comprehend the death of such a young boy.
According to initial findings, a fisherman heard a child screaming but was unable to locate him. Shortly afterward, witnesses discovered the young boy and alerted emergency services. Firefighters arrived and found the child in cardiorespiratory arrest. A towel had been tightened around his neck. Despite several resuscitation attempts carried out with the SMUR emergency medical team, a doctor eventually pronounced him dead at the scene.
The boy's parents arrived shortly after the incident. According to witnesses interviewed by the local newspaper Ouest-France, the mother had been actively searching for him at the time of the events. The father arrived after emergency services were already on site.
For now, a river is being searched, two teenagers are in custody, and a 12-year-old is dead. The prosecutor's office has not said what happened between them. But a fisherman heard screaming, a mother was looking for her son, and by the time anyone found him, it was already too late.
Written by Martina Kirchner
