The search for a missing 9-year-old girl ends in tragedy as the remains of Maelys de Araujo were discovered. A former soldier has admitted to "accidentally" killing her and hiding the body. Charges of another murder the suspect may be involved in have prompted authorities to fear they may have a serial killer on their hands. Maelys went missing last August at a wedding in the French Alps.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, the remains of Maëlys, a French child missing since last August, have been found in a ravine, dumped there by her killer.<br> Another example of the successful use of trained dogs to locate a body. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/McCann?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#McCann</a> <a href="https://t.co/C5FWRq3iRq">https://t.co/C5FWRq3iRq</a></p>— Terry Kelly (@TerryKellyFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TerryKellyFR/status/963900177428992001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Nordahl Lelandais, a former French soldier, and military dog handler admitted his role in Maelys' disappearance and death according to Jean-Yves Coquillat, Grenoble Prosecutor. Lelandais is believed to have come clean only after police found traces of the missing girl's blood in the trunk of his car. Lelandais claims the death was an accident and admits he hid the body near his house before returning to the wedding party near Chambery. He was a guest of the groom. Later he dumped the child's body in a ravine. He has not fully explained the chain of incidents that led to what he purports was an "accidental" death, according to the prosecutor.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">💔🖤🌹 princesse <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maelys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Maelys</a> 💔🖤🌹 <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pontdebeauvoisin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pontdebeauvoisin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/devoirdememoire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#devoirdememoire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NouvellePhotoDeProfil?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NouvellePhotoDeProfil</a> <a href="https://t.co/EonGLMH91O">pic.twitter.com/EonGLMH91O</a></p>— tendances/ mauranne💔laura (@tendancesmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/tendancesmusic/status/963845624864149510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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For months, hundreds of volunteers worked hand in hand with the police to search for the girl. Over 200 potential witnesses, including Lelandais, were questioned by police. Apparently, traces of Maelys' DNA in his car and CCTV footage were what led investigators to Lelandais. Lelandais still maintains his innocence of murder and claims that he had merely let children look at the dogs he was keeping in his car. Another potential charge involves the murder of 24-year-old French soldier, Arthur Noyer. Noyer went missing after hitchhiking from Chambery upon leaving a nightclub in the wee hours of the morning. Upon making these connections authorities have reopened other cases involving missing persons in the region.
Related coverage:
https://thegoldwater.com/news/7645-France-Is-Looking-For-A-Missing-9-Year-Old-Girl
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