The Lina case: forensic evidence confirms strangulation with a cloth bag

Initial analyses of Lina’s body initially pointed to death by asphyxiation. Now, two months after her body was discovered, forensic findings reveal that the 15-year-old girl, who disappeared in Alsace, was strangled with a cloth bag. This information, reported by a source close to the investigation to H24 MEDIA, confirms the revelations of the newspaper L’Alsace.

However, examination of the body did not reveal any other violence, particularly of a sexual nature. The investigators qualify these conclusions because of the advanced state of deterioration of the body, caused by its prolonged stay in the water, which made the work of the IRCGN experts particularly complex.

Body found one year after disappearance

Lina disappeared on 23 September 2023. More than a year after this tragic event, her body was discovered on 16 October near Sermoise-sur-Loire, near Nevers (Nièvre).

Samuel Gonin, the main suspect in the case, committed suicide last July, leaving investigators without his version of events. His vehicle, in which DNA traces and the girl’s handbag had been found, had been geolocated near the place where the body was discovered.

A press conference to present the conclusions

The full results of the forensic investigations will be officially presented on Friday 20 December. Alexandre Chevrier, Strasbourg’s acting public prosecutor, will hold a press conference at the Palais de Justice to detail the conclusions of the investigations.