The public prosecutor of Rouen, Sébastien Gallois, announced the indictment for murder and kidnapping of Célya’s father-in-law, confirming information from Paris-Normandy. The little girl, aged 6, was killed on the night of July 12 to 13 in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-l’If, a commune in Seine-Maritime located about thirty kilometers to the northwest from Rouen.
The stepfather is being prosecuted for “murder of a minor under 15 years of age”, “kidnapping of a minor under 15 years of age”, “attempted murder of a spouse”. On July 12, during a violent argument, he stabbed his partner several times, who managed to escape to notify the police.
“Acts of extreme violence”
When he returned, he was no longer there, nor his daughter. His body was found the next day in a forest. “The external examination” of the girl’s body had “revealed facts of extreme violence, a major smashing of the child’s skull at the back of the head which very probably caused her death”, had revealed the public prosecutor.
The father-in-law, aged 42 and convicted five times in the past for drug-related offences, was arrested immediately. He was placed in a psychiatric unit because of his incoherent comments. He was finally remanded in custody on September 26.