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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash
This pretty French teenager who was found dead in a stream after calling her mother to say she was on her way home had injuries indicating she was murdered after she missed the bus and decided to walk home.
Her worried family had raised the alarm when she was not there 2.5 hours later, and her body was found by a sniffer dog alongside her shoes and a handbag.
Victorine Dartois, 18, had disappeared after going with friends to the Village de Marques shopping centre in the town of Villefontaine, in the Isere department in south-eastern France, on Saturday.
Her sister reacted to the news with social media postings including a message where she said: “I don’t have words anymore, I’m completely destroyed by this huge life-changing upheaval… My heart is broken.”
After shopping, the young student had set off back to her home in the Fougeres district and called her family at around 7 PM. That was the last they ever heard from her.
She and apparently decided to cover the last 2 kilometres home on foot after having missed her bus, although it is unclear if she had warned her parents that she was planning to walk or had simply decided to walk after missing the ride.
After not hearing any news for over two hours and with her not answering her phone, her family phoned the police and her sister Romane took to social media.
She posted a message that said: “Urgent! My little sister has disappeared! This pretty young 18-year-old girl who is my little sister has disappeared… She was on her way home. The route she took to go home is St Bonnet centre to Fougeres in Villefontaine, the last call she made was at the Stade de la prairie at 7pm, and since then she is not answering messages or phone calls… She was wearing a pair of jeans and a pink Nike jumper, white Puma trainers, and big round earrings. […]
“I write this message with a lot of emotion and I’m counting on you so that we can find her in good health. She hasn’t run away. It is totally not her style. Thank you in advance for helping us to find her and to share this post everywhere.”
Her body was found in the Alliat stream at around noon on Monday, near the family home.
The results of the autopsy were made public Wednesday afternoon by Grenoble prosecutor Boris Duffau, who is quoted in French newspapers including Le Parisien and 20 Minutes as saying: “While we did not find any traces of sexual violence on the body, it is not possible at this stage of the investigation to discard this hypothesis.”
According to Duffau, Victorine “died by drowning the intervention of third party, due to the multiple bruising internal bruising found on the body of the victim.”
Kelly Monteiro, the lawyer representing Victorine’s family, is quoted in Le Parisien as saying: “this autopsy allows for the theory of an accident to be definitively discarded because the intervention of a third party is now beyond any doubt.
“Even if still today we do not know the exact circumstances of the death of Victorine. Her family received this news with tears and cries. But also with kind of relief, even if the term might appear inappropriate. They have an answer and feel that the gendarmes are doing everything to identify the individual or individuals because of the death of Victorine.”
Victorine’s sister Romane took to Facebook after her sister’s body was found. In a post that currently has over 25,000 likes and numerous supportive messages, she said: “I don’t have words anymore, I’m completely destroyed by this huge life-changing upheaval… My heart is broken.
“I’m grieving with my family… I am impressed by the support community that Victorine has! But she totally deserves it! I really want to thank you all for sharing, and for your loving and supportive words for my family. If I could, I would hug you all… I see all the messages you send me but unfortunately, there are so many I can’t answer…
“Victorine was an amazing young woman, a sister who was more than exemplary, a great listener and always smiling. Victorine is already in heaven. Watch over us my little angel I love you.”
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