13/07 at 19:46
This is the end of this live broadcast.
This is the end of this live broadcast dedicated to the death of little Célya.
Her lifeless body was found on the night of Friday to Saturday. Her mother’s partner was arrested and taken into custody.
At a press conference, the Rouen public prosecutor indicated that he “allowed himself to be arrested without incident”. He “suffers from psychiatric disorders and is a drug user”.
As for Célya, following an external examination, the medical examiner reported “a major fracture of the child’s skull at the back of the head which very probably caused her death.”
13/07 at 14:37
The mayor of Saint-Martin-de-l’If expresses his “great pain” following the death of Célya
“We are a small rural community.” Almost 24 hours following the events, the mayor of Saint-Martin-de-l’If expressed his “great pain” following Célya’s death.
“We all know each other. This little girl went to our school (…) A deep feeling of injustice which is shared, I think, by the entire population,” explains Sylvain Garand, the mayor, on BFMTV.
13/07 at 13:06
What to remember from the conference of the Rouen public prosecutor
During his press conference this followingnoon, the Rouen public prosecutor reported “acts of extreme violence” following Célya’s death.
“The direct and traumatic intervention of a third party in the child’s death is certain for the medical examiner,” he added to the press.
13/07 at 12:25
An autopsy and a CT scan are scheduled for Monday.
The autopsy of the six-year-old girl is scheduled for Monday. A CT scan will also be performed.
Anatomopathological examinations will take place “later”.
13/07 at 12:15
Célya’s mother was allegedly injured while trying to protect her
The Rouen public prosecutor specified during his press conference that Célya’s mother was questioned from the hospital where she is.
“After a marital dispute, he allegedly attacked Célya violently, slamming her to the ground,” he explains, citing the words of Célya’s mother.
Before adding: “Her mother then intervened to protect her and in turn suffered the violence. Her partner allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and struck her several times.”
The mother mentions “a fit of madness” by her partner who “had taken cocaine”.
13/07 at 12:10
The main suspect “allowed himself to be arrested without incident”
The main suspect, the partner of Célya’s mother, was arrested shortly before 6am this morning.
“He was still armed with a knife but allowed himself to be arrested without incident,” said the prosecutor.
He was taken into custody.
13/07 at 12:07
The medical examiner highlighted “acts of extreme violence”
The medical examiner has highlighted “acts of extreme violence”, said the Rouen public prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet.
“A major fracture of the child’s skull to the back of the head which most likely caused his death. As well as bruising all over his body,” he explained.
“The direct and traumatic intervention of a third party in the death of the child is certain.”
13/07 at 11:55
The Rouen public prosecutor will hold a press conference in a few minutes
The public prosecutor of Rouen, Frédéric Teillet, and General Stéphane Gauffeny, commander of the gendarmerie in Normandy, will hold a press conference in a few minutes from the Rouen judicial court.
13/07 at 10:11
“It’s atrocious”: the inhabitants of Saint-Martin-de-l’If in shock
Residents of the commune of Saint-Martin-de-l’If woke up in shock this morning following the discovery of the death of little Célya and then the arrest of the main suspect, the mother’s partner.
“We listened to the news and saw the little girl being kidnapped. It’s really atrocious,” a resident told BFMTV.
“Everyone knows each other, it’s a very quiet little village. We saw the helicopters, the police passing by. It’s a bit shocking to see that in a small village,” reacts another.
13/07 at 8:51
Significant resources deployed to find the suspect
Since the kidnapping alert was triggered on Friday evening, significant resources have been deployed by the gendarmerie and the Rouen search section.
More than a hundred gendarmes from Seine-Maritime and neighboring departments were mobilized, as well as mobile gendarmes, a dog team and a helicopter.
13/07 at 8:20
A press conference by the prosecutor at noon
Accompanied by the commanding general of the Normandy gendarmerie, the Rouen public prosecutor will hold a press conference at 12 noon to provide more information on the tragedy that occurred in Saint-Martin-de-l’If.
13/07 at 8:06
The arrested man was already known to the courts
The man arrested this Saturday morning is the main suspect in the disappearance and death of little Célya.
According to our information, the man is already known to the courts.
He suffers from behavioral problems.
13/07 at 7:51
The main suspect found and arrested
At around 6am, the police found and arrested the main suspect near where the car was discovered, in a wood in Saint Martin de l’If, according to our information.
The man was immediately taken into custody by the Rouen research section.
More information here.
13/07 at 7:40
The gendarmerie releases two photos of the main suspect
Still wanted, the main suspect is the partner of the mother of little Célya, found dead.
To carry out its research, the gendarmerie released two images of the 42-year-old man.
The suspect in the disappearance and death of Célya, 6 years old. © AFP PHOTO / GENDARMERIE NATIONALE”A photo released by the National Gendarmerie on July 12, 2024 showing the companion of Célya’s mother, currently on the run © Handout © 2019 AFP
13/07 at 7:20
Second failure of the child abduction alert system
This is only the second time that the abduction alert system has ended in a tragic discovery.
The first time, in 2020, the body of little Vanille, aged 1, was discovered in Angers in a clothes bin.
On the occasion of Célya’s disappearance, this was the 33rd activation of this system launched in 2006.
The last triggering was in January 2024 and allowed the finding of Neilylah, a one-month-old girl, abducted by her mother from the Meaux hospital center.
13/07 at 7:08
A press conference by the prosecutor is expected in the morning
Following the tragic discovery, the prosecution announced that it would provide more information in the morning.
The Rouen public prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet, is due to hold a press conference, to be followed on BFMTV.
13/07 at 6:54
Little Célya’s mother hospitalized
Célya’s mother, the victim of the initial violence, is currently hospitalized but her life is not in danger.
It was she who called the police around 6 p.m. to say that she had just been attacked with a knife by her partner.
13/07 at 6:53
The testimony of a local resident allowed Célya’s body to be found
According to the prosecutor, it was a local resident who helped locate the kidnapper’s car. Following the kidnapping alert, his testimony allowed the police to identify the vehicle.
The little girl was in a wood near the car.
The investigation is entrusted to the research brigade of the national gendarmerie of Yvetot, assisted by the research section of Rouen.
More information here.
13/07 at 6:46
The main suspect wanted
The prosecutor said a man was still being sought. The kidnapping alert detailed that little Célya “is likely to have been abducted by her mother’s partner.”
With the following description from the police: “42-year-old man, 1.80 m tall, very thin build, brown hair, blue eyes, driving a navy blue Golf with registration number 7189 WM 76”.
It is said to be the companion of Célya’s mother.
A photo released by the National Gendarmerie on July 12, 2024 showing the companion of Célya’s mother, currently on the run © Handout © 2019 AFP
13/07 at 6:25
The prosecutor calls on residents to “be extremely vigilant”
“Significant police resources are currently being deployed to actively search for the alleged perpetrator, who is still on the run,” said prosecutor Frédéric Teillet, the public prosecutor present on the scene in Saint-Martin-de-l’If, in Seine Maritime.
He calls on residents to “be extremely vigilant” and “anyone who might contribute to the investigation or the arrest is invited to dial 17”.
13/07 at 6:00
Célya’s lifeless body found
Shortly following 1 a.m. on the night of Friday to Saturday, the Ministry of Justice announced the discovery of the lifeless body of little Célya.
The child abduction alert system, launched on Friday around 6 p.m., has been lifted.
