Teenager Lina’s Mysterious Disappearance Sparks Kidnapping Investigation

The teenager has not given any sign of life since Saturday September 23. The Strasbourg public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation to “counts of kidnapping or sequestration of more than seven days ».

For ten days now, the search has continued to find the trace of Lina, 15, who disappeared on Saturday September 23, while she was on her way to meet her boyfriend in Strasbourg.

The context of the case

On September 23, 2023, Lina, 15, left her home in Plaine, in Bas-Rhin, to go to the Saint-Blaise-la-Roche station. She plans to take a train towards Strasbourg, to join her boyfriend. To do this, she must take the D350. It’s a 3 km route, which she knows well. It vanished and has been sought ever since.

The day of disappearance

On the morning of September 23, the atmosphere was light, according to the testimony of Lina’s mother. The young woman is preparing to meet her boyfriend for a busy day: they have to eat at a restaurant, go shopping, then she will return in the evening. His mother tells the microphone of Seven to Eight, the enthusiasm of her daughter, who leaves the family home at around 11 a.m.

She knows the route that connects her to the station in just 30 minutes: the D350 on foot initially, which allows her to join a cycle path at the end. However, she will not board the midday train, which was to take her to Strasbourg. Her boyfriend, not seeing her arrive, tries to contact her. With no response from him, he called Lina’s mother, who searched the house, went to the station and ended up raising the alarm around 2 p.m.

The girl is not known as a runaway. The military therefore immediately set out to look for him, while an investigation for “ disturbing disappearance ” is open. It is the Strasbourg research section which is tackling this, jointly with the Bas-Rhin gendarmerie group.

Searches remain unsuccessful

In the days that followed, the surrounding area was scrutinized. A helicopter equipped with thermal cameras, drones and a dog brigade were dispatched to the field, in vain.

While the Saverne public prosecutor confirms that the young woman never boarded the train thanks to the station’s surveillance cameras, a call for witnesses is launched and a first citizen raid is organized on Monday September 25. A few days later, the water bodies in the area were surveyed.

The first tangible elements

Two witnesses claim to have seen the young woman between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on the way to the station. One would have seen him on foot, the other in a gray or dark blue Clio car. The prosecutor also confirmed that her phone stopped ringing at 11:22 a.m. on the day of her disappearance. There has been no movement in her bank account since, nor any trace on the road suggesting a road accident of which she was the victim.

Investigators also repeatedly searched the home of a music teacher living in Plaine. The professor’s cars were seized for a DNA examination, the results of which are not yet known. The latter was not placed in custody, simply interviewed by the gendarmes. There is currently no evidence linking him to Lina’s disappearance. A total of six vehicles matching the description were searched, with no results.

The Saverne public prosecutor’s office withdraws from the investigation

On October 1, the Saverne public prosecutor’s office, until then competent, relinquished the case in favor of the Strasbourg public prosecutor’s office, which opened a judicial investigation to “counts of kidnapping or sequestration of more than seven days “. Two investigating judges from Strasbourg will now direct the investigations, and Lina’s disappearance takes on a criminal dimension.

The searches are focusing on the car seen. According to the testimony collected, it was driving in the opposite direction from the station. The witness claims that the teenager did not seem worried, would have said hello to him through the window, and was sitting next to a “ male individual “. Lina could therefore have gotten into the car of someone she knew.

In a press release, the Strasbourg public prosecutor’s office said it was preparing for ” long-term investigations. At this stage, no charges have been brought against anyone, no avenue being ruled out or favored ».

2023-10-03 12:29:48
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