Victorine, 18, was found dead on September 28, 2020 in Villefontaine, Isère.

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E. Frisullo / 20 Minutes

  • A week ago, the gendarmes found the corpse of Victorine, this 18-year-old girl actively sought in Villefontaine after the alert given by her family.

  • The first results of the autopsy have ruled out the accidental track and concluded with a death by drowning with intervention of a third.

  • This Monday, the Grenoble prosecutor's office took stock of the investigations which will now be conducted as part of a judicial investigation. 

  • No new information has been released on the details of the investigation.

A week after the discovery of Victorine's body in Villefontaine, in Isère, the investigations promise to be extremely complex.

During a progress report on the investigation on Monday, the Deputy Public Prosecutor of Grenoble Boris Duffau announced the opening of a judicial investigation against X.

Given "the complexity of the investigation", three investigating judges were appointed.

The investigations will focus on the qualifications of "murder" and "kidnapping and forcible confinement", "to find out what happened between the disappearance of the young girl and the discovery of her body," added the prosecution.

Ten full-time investigators into the case

As part of this judicial information, an investigation unit was also created.

Called HomRoche, it will bring together ten investigators from the Grenoble research section and the Isère gendarmerie group “exclusively dedicated to this investigation” and will be provided with additional resources financed by Paris, added the deputy prosecutor.

On the result of the research carried out since September 28, however, the justice system and the gendarmerie did not wish to say more.

"The investigation, at this stage, does not allow to give more elements", indicated the prosecutor of the Republic of Grenoble, recalling the need to keep a secret phase for the good progress of the investigations.

The toll-free number still active, many testimonials collected

This obviously does not mean that the gendarmes have not made any progress at all.

"Since Victorine's disappearance on the evening of September 26, 40 investigators have been mobilized, 130 field hearings conducted and 662 people contacted by investigators," Colonel James, commander of the Grenoble research section, said on Monday.

Since its activation on the day of the discovery of the student's body, the toll-free number (0800.200.142), which remains active, has recorded 305 calls.

"All this is subject to systematic checks," assured the colonel.

Saturday evening, in the area where Victorine disappeared, namely between the Prairie stadium where she made her last call and the family home located two kilometers away, a thousand vehicles and 63 pedestrians were checked.

"It was a question of collecting additional testimonies from people who used to borrow this place", indicated the colonel.

White march for #Victorine #Villefontaine pic.twitter.com/bmQlJ4WkKJ

- Elisa Frisullo (@ElisaRiberry) October 4, 2020

The body returned to the family

Victorine Dartois disappeared around 7 p.m. on September 26 on her way back from an outing with her friends to the village of Marques de Villefontaine.

Worried about not seeing her return when she had called to say that she was returning on foot after missing her bus, her relatives had alerted the gendarmerie.

Her disappearance had therefore been taken very seriously and beatings had been organized all weekend in an attempt to find her.

In vain.

His body was finally discovered thanks to the scent of a Saint-Hubert dog on Monday, September 28, in an area difficult to access, in the waters of a shallow stream near the Prairie stadium.

The first results of the autopsy ruled out the accidental thesis and concluded that "a death by drowning with intervention of a third party".

"Internal bruises" have been noted but no traces of sexual violence for the time being, the Grenoble prosecutor's office said last week.

For the countless unanswered questions about Victorine's death, her family will still have to wait.

Just like the thousands of Villefontaine residents who took part in the white march organized in tribute to the young girl on Sunday.

A final tribute should be able to be paid to him soon, the burial permit having been issued according to the Grenoble prosecutor's office.

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Villefontaine: An investigation opened after the disturbing disappearance of an 18-year-old girl

  • Gendarmerie

  • Murder

  • Society

  • Lyon

  • Investigation

  • Villefontaine