Man charged over disappearance of girl (9) at French wedding

Prosecutor’s office said 34-year-old denied wrongdoing but ‘did not convince investigation judges’

Maelys De Araujo  was last seen  on August 27th at the village hall in Pont-de-Beauvoisin
Maelys De Araujo was last seen on August 27th at the village hall in Pont-de-Beauvoisin

A man has been charged in connection with the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl who went missing during a wedding celebration in France.

The 34-year-old man attended the same wedding last month, according to prosecutors in Grenoble who have charged him on a preliminary basis.

The man was last week detained for questioning alongside another suspect, but was released without charge.

The prosecutor’s office said the man denied any wrongdoing but his explanation “did not convince investigation judges”, who charged him with “kidnapping, illegal confinement or arbitrary detention of a minor of less than 15 years”.

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The girl, identified as Maelys De Araujo by Grenoble prosecutors, was last seen on August 27th at the village hall in Pont-de-Beauvoisin,85km from Lyon in south eastern France.

AP