Murder of Lina Delsarte

Lina Delsarte
Saint-Blaise-la-Roche - Poutay station (pictured in 2010) where Lina Delsarte was walking to when she disappeared
Born
Lina Delsarte

10 August 2008
Bas-Rhin
Disappeared23 September 2023
(aged 15)
Saint-Blaise-la-Roche
Body discoveredSermoise-sur-Loire
16 October 2024
EducationFrison-Roche College

On 23 September 2023, Lina Delsarte disappeared from her home in the Alsace region of France. The fifteen-year-old girl was reported missing in Saint-Blaise-la-Roche after she failed to arrive at the town train station.[1] After months of investigation the prime suspect, Samuel Gonin, committed suicide in July 2024 after the police seized his vehicle.[2] Inside the car genetic traces were found along with the teenager's missing bag. The car's geolocation data allowed police to investigate further. 13 months after her disappearance, the body of Lina Delsarte was later discovered on 16 October 2024 in woods near Nevers, in the commune of Sermoise-sur-Loire.[3]

Victim

The victim, Lina Delsarte, was born on 10 August 2008.[4] She was therefore fifteen years old when she disappeared.[5]

She was described as being of French nationality, 1.60m tall, and having blonde hair and light green eyes.[6]

The month of her disappearance, she was preparing a professional aptitude certificate (CAP) for "personal assistance" in an establishment near Saint-Blaise-la-Roche in the department of Bas-Rhin, after obtaining her national brevet diploma in July 2023 at the Frison-Roche college.[7]

She was the only daughter of parents Olivier Delsarte and Fanny Groll who separated in 2011.[8]

Disappearance

On Saturday 23 September 2023, Lina Delsarte left her home in Champenay (a hamlet in the commune of Plaine) to go to the Saint-Blaise-la-Roche - Poutay train station, where she was due to take a train to Strasbourg to meet her boyfriend. She made the journey of approximately 3km on foot.[9] Two witnesses saw her between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m. and then her mobile phone made a final signal at 11:22a.m. Recordings from the station's surveillance cameras indicated that she did not board the train.[4] When he did not see her arrive, her boyfriend alerted the girl's mother. At the time of her disappearance, Lina was wearing a grey dress, a white jacket, and white Converse shoes. According to the public prosecutor Public Prosecutor of Saverne, Aline Clérot, the victim did not have the profile of a runaway and the family had "no particular problems".[5] No banking activity was noted on her account after the disappearance.

Miscellaneous news in parallel

On 1 October 2023, eight days after the teenager's disappearance, Lina Delsarte's first serious boyfriend, 22-year-old Benjamin Holtzmann, was killed in a road incident.[10] After being clocked at 185 km/h by the police on the D500, near Obernai (Bas-Rhin), the young man driving a car, was said to have accelerated and missed the exit ramp where the car left the road. He was pronounced dead when help arrived.[11]

Their relationship reportedly lasted about a year in 2022 and they remained on good terms afterward. According to the National Gendarmerie, it was not a suicide but an accident. Despite the coincidence, his death was in no way linked to the investigation, despite a compatible temporality.[12][13]

Previous complaint of rape

In June 2022, Lina Delsarte, then aged 13, had filed a complaint for “gang rape”, which was dismissed as an “insufficiently characterized” offense. In January 2024, the Saverne public prosecutor's office announced that it was carrying out a "new legal study of the procedure"[14] and was handing over the case to the Strasbourg public prosecutor's office, which opened in February. A judicial investigation for "rape committed on a minor under 15 by an adult with an age difference of at least five years", a procedure which was "unrelated and separate from that subsequently opened for new charges of kidnapping and criminal sequestration" following the disappearance.[15]

Investigation

The searches took place mainly between the victim's home, located in Champenay, and the Saint-Blaise-la-Roche - Poutay train station, where she was due to take a train.[6]

A search notice was issued by the gendarmerie on Saturday afternoon and an investigation into a "disturbing disappearance" was opened. A first search took place on Monday and a second the following day, supplemented by telephone investigations. Dog teams were then deployed to the potential location of the disappearance. A helicopter and drones also flew over the area.[6] Two bodies of water located near Saint-Blaise-la-Roche were sounded by seven divers.[4][5]

No trace suggesting any accident was discovered along the victim's route.[5] Two sweeps involving 80 police officers were carried out on Thursday, September 28.[4]

As part of the normal investigation, her boyfriend Tao's phone was analysed by the police, in particular to study the last video she allegedly sent before her disappearance.[16] The 19-year- old reveals to the Nouveau Détective that he has been the victim of threats and accusations since Lina's disappearance.[17]

On 26 March 2024, six months after the disappearance of the teenager, three people, a man and a couple, were taken into custody by the police from the Strasbourg research section. The reason was inconsistencies between their timetables and the statements they made to investigators, but these interviews revealed nothing incriminating.[18]

Traces discovered and a suspect identified

On 26 July 2024, the public prosecutor of Strasbourg announced that the genetic fingerprint (DNA) of the missing teenager had been identified in a Ford Puma.[19] It was found on the seat belt in the right rear seat, and the young girl's handbag was in the glove compartment.[20]

The vehicle, registered in Germany, was stolen and had been damaged in January 2024 in the Aude department and impounded. It had been geolocated near the scene of Lina's disappearance on 23 September 2023.[21]

The driver at the time of the accident, Samuel G., was trying to escape a customs check.[20] He had been arrested and sentenced to 15 months in prison suspended, without any link being established with Lina's disappearance.[22] He had been identified as driving the same car at a gas station in Doubs two days before the disappearance of Lina Delsarte in Saint-Blaise-la-Roche

The 43-year-old suspect was due to appear in court in July 2024 for violent robberies, but committed suicide[23] by hanging himself on 10 July 2024 in Besançon.[24] This was before the link was established with the disappearance of Lina, of which he immediately became the prime suspect.[25]

Excavations

On 30 July 2024, searches were carried out in vain in the valley of Bruche and in the Vosges[26] (on the places where the GPS of the suspect's vehicle had landed),[27] while the press revealed the name of the driver of the vehicle in which Lina's genetic profile had been found: Samuel Gonin, 43 year old from Besançon, former carpentry teacher at the Saint-Joseph vocational high school, who had already attacked two women in the past and who killed himself on 10 July 2024.

On Saturday 3 August 2024, the gendarmerie ended its search in the Anould forest in the Vosges after finding no additional elements allowing the investigation to progress.[27]

On Tuesday 6 August 2024, the searches resumed in the Saulx woods,[28] 14 kilometers from Vesoul (the Haute-Saône prefecture), following the GPS data of the car of the main suspect.[29] For three days, ninety gendarmes[30] combed through the forest of this town,[31] using ground-penetrating radars often used by archaeologists to detect any anomalies in the ground.

In September 2024, the interim public prosecutor of Strasbourg revealed that Lina's DNA and that of Samuel Gonin were found on ropes in the trunk of the car, which proved that she had been "tied up".

Discovery of a body

On 16 October 2024, Lina's body was finally found in a wooded and isolated area in Sermoise-sur-Loire, in Nièvre.[32][33][34] It was fully submerged in a body of water.[35]

This was nearly 500 kilometres from the place of the original disappearance.[36] The car of the main suspect had been geolocated at this location on 24 September 2023, the day after the disappearance.[36] The funeral took place on Friday, 25 October 2024 at 2 p.m. in the Saint-Arnould church in Plaine.[37]

On 19 December 2024, the public prosecutor announced that although the cause of death could not be formally established, though the theory of death by mechanical strangulation was favoured by investigators. The state of degradation of the body and its prolonged stay in water encouraged forensic pathologists to be cautious in their conclusions, but several marks as well as the presence of a fabric, all found between the bottom of the skull and the top of the neck, allowed them to favour strangulation with the handles of a bag. Analysis of the fabric showed that it was a tote bag. However, it proved impossible to carry out gynecological examinations. Finally the authorities concluded that, "to date, all the elements point to a solitary action on the part of Samuel Gonin".[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ Serignac, Helene (2024-08-01). "Lina: Découverte d'un suspect et piste tragique après sa disparition". People Act Magazine (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  2. ^ Serignac, Helene (2024-09-03). "Disparition de Lina: Découverte cruciale dans l'enquête". People Act Magazine (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  3. ^ "Body of girl missing for over a year found in France after GPS data extracted from suspected killer's car - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  4. ^ a b c d "Disparition de Lina: la jeune fille reste introuvable, deux nouveaux ratissages sont prévus jeudi". France 3 Grand Est (in French). 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  5. ^ a b c d "Disparition inquiétante de Lina: fugue, enlèvement... les pistes explorées par les enquêteurs pour retrouver l'adolescente". Midi Libre (in French). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Disparition de Lina: "c'est une torture de ne plus avoir son enfant près de soi", une nouvelle battue organisée ce mardi". France 3 Grand Est (in French). 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  7. ^ "Hommage. Lina, un sourire s'est éteint". www.dna.fr (in French). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  8. ^ "Disparition de Lina: son père se confie". L'Est républicain (in French). 23 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024..
  9. ^ "Disparition de Lina: nouvelles battues infructueuses autour du village". Le Figaro (in French). 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  10. ^ Sekkal, Mélissa (2024-01-17). "Lina, 15 ans: la mort mystérieuse de son ex-petit ami 8 jours après sa disparition sème le trouble, "Les gendarmes n'ont..."". Marie France, magazine féminin (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  11. ^ "Faits divers. Un mort dans un accident de voiture sur la D 500 à hauteur d'Obernai". www.dna.fr (in French). October 2023. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  12. ^ "Disparition de Lina: mort de son ex-petit ami". ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024..
  13. ^ "Disparition de Lina: son ancien petit ami est mort huit jours après qu'elle s'est volatilisée". midilibre.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024..
  14. ^ "Disparition de Lina: sa plainte pour viol réétudiée". France Info (in French). 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  15. ^ "Disparition de Lina: une nouvelle enquête ouverte à la suite d'une plainte pour viol déposée en 2022". Le Monde. 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  16. ^ "Disparition de Lina: le téléphone portable de son petit ami, Tao, a été récupéré par les enquêteurs". Le Figaro (in French). 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  17. ^ "Disparition de Lina: Tao nous confirme avoir perdu son téléphone mais regrette cette suspicion qui « fait mal »". Le Nouveau Détective (in French). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  18. ^ La Dépêche du Midi (27 March 2024). "Disparition de Lina: les trois gardes à vue ont été levées dans la nuit". La Dépêche. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Disparition de Lina: le principal suspect avait été arrêté en janvier". francetvinfo.fr (in French). 1 August 2024..
  20. ^ a b "Disparition de Lina: le sac à main de l'adolescente se trouvait dans le véhicule du principal suspect". Le Figaro (in French). 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  21. ^ "Affaire Lina: le profil génétique de l'adolescente disparue retrouvé dans un véhicule volé". Le Figaro. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Disparition de Lina: ADN retrouvé, véhicule volé… ce que l'on sait des avancées de l'enquête". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 July 2024..
  23. ^ "Disparition de Lina: "Un voyou local", ce que l'on sait du suspect numéro 1, qui s'est suicidé juste après la saisie d'une voiture". MidiLibre. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Disparition de Lina: le profil instable du suspect, un expert psychiatre avait noté sa "dangerosité"". francebleu.fr (in French). August 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024..
  25. ^ "Nos révélations sur Samuel G., principal suspect dans la disparition de Lina". Le Figaro. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Disparition de Lina: des fouilles ont démarré dans le Grand Est pour retrouver le corps de l'adolescente". Le Figaro. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Disparition de Lina: pas de nouvelle fouille prévue après les recherches infructueuses dans les Vosges". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  28. ^ "Disparition de Lina: les enquêteurs ont repris des recherches dans un bois". lalsace.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 July 2024..
  29. ^ "Disparition de Lina: les recherches reprennent en Haute-Saône". lefigaro.fr (in French). 6 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024..
  30. ^ "Disparition de Lina: fin des recherches dans le bois de Saulx après trois jours de fouilles". estrepublicain.fr (in French). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024..
  31. ^ "Disparition de Lina: les recherches sont terminées dans la forêt de Saulx, en Haute-Saône". france3.fr (in French). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024..
  32. ^ "Affaire Lina: le corps de la jeune fille retrouvé plus d'un an après sa disparition dans la région de Nevers - France Bleu". ici par France Bleu et France 3 (in French). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  33. ^ "Disparition de Lina: le corps de l'adolescente retrouvé dans un cours d'eau près de Nevers". BFMTV (in French). 16 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  34. ^ "Le corps de Lina, adolescente disparue depuis septembre 2023, retrouvé par la gendarmerie dans la Nièvre". Le Monde (in French). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  35. ^ "Carte. Mort de Lina: Suspect, voiture, fouilles…389 jours d'enquête focalisées sur la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté". France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (in French). 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  36. ^ a b Le Figaro avec AFP (2024-10-16). "Affaire Lina: le corps de l'adolescente a été retrouvé dans la Nièvre". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  37. ^ Kharlamoff, Boris; Bertrand, Solenne (24 October 2024). "Mort de Lina: comment vont se dérouler les obsèques de l'adolescente à Plaine". BFM TV.
  38. ^ "Affaire Lina: l'adolescente est vraisemblablement morte par "strangulation", annonce le procureur". Franceinfo (in French). 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
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