Wedding guest charged with kidnap of French girl, nine

A 34-YEAR-OLD man has been charged and remanded in custody over the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl during a wedding in the Alps, say prosecutors.

Maelys de Araujo was last seen in the early hours of Sunday Aug 27 at a community hall in Pont-de-beauvoisin, a village 30 miles north of Grenoble.

The suspect, who has not been named, told investigators that Maelys “got into his car”, his lawyer, Bernard Méraud, told AFP, but denies abducting her. DNA evidence was found on the dashboard of the suspect’s Audi.

“The little girl and a little boy approached the car, next to which he (the suspect) was smoking a cigarette. Given there had been a conversation during the evening about his dogs, the two children asked to see whether they were in the car,” said Mr Méraud.

The children climbed into the back seat, peeked into the boot, and then seeing there were no dogs, “got out again and everyone returned to the community hall”.

The vehicle had previously caught the attention of investigators, as the owner had washed it after the wedding, claiming that he wanted to sell it.

Sniffer dogs lost the scent from Maelys’s cuddly toy in a car park outside the venue, raising fears she was kidnapped. She has not been found despite searches in the area.

Grenoble’s prosecutor said that the suspect, a former soldier who was a guest at the wedding, had been charged with “kidnapping, illegal confinement or arbitrary detention of a minor of less than 15 years”.