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Reading 2 min.
in collaboration with
Amélie Boukhobza (Clinical psychologist)
More than a year after Lina’s disappearance, her body was discovered yesterday near Nevers, ending all hope of finding her alive. Will this definitive and tragic outcome allow loved ones to mourn?
She disappeared on September 23, 2023 in Plaine, in Bas-Rhin, while she was walking to the station to see her lover. The disappearance of young Lina, 15 years old, moved all of France. The teenager’s body was discovered yesterday, in Nièvre, 400 km away, after months of meticulous searches.
The causes of Lina’s death remain to be elucidated
After 13 months of investigation, the body of the young girl was discovered thanks to the geolocation of the main suspect’s vehicle during his multiple trips around the dates of the disappearance and in particular the next day. Genetic analyzes carried out urgently by the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie (IRCGN) made it possible to confirm the identity of the young girl.
The circumstances remain to be clarified: Samuel Gonin, the main suspect in this kidnapping, killed himself last July, after Lina’s DNA was discovered in the stolen car he was driving. The Strasbourg prosecutor indicates that medico-legal assessments will be “ordered” by the magistrates to explain the causes of the teenager’s death.
No longer waiting for your child to return
At this stage, Lina’s parents, through their lawyers, spoke of “immense pain” in the media, but did not wish to react after the discovery of the body. “Before giving way to contemplation, they remain awaiting the reports of the experts dispatched to the site of the discovery”they add.
However, can this painful stage allow them to move forward? Here is what our psychologist Amélie Boukhobza answered us last March in a similar case.
“It seems obvious, but finding the body of your child is indeed a sign that he is dead. It is concrete confirmation of the loss, essential to begin the process. mourning work. Without loss, no mourning is possible. The parents have lost a child. But with the confirmation of his death, they no longer wait for his possible return, nor for news about him. They don’t wait any longer.”
The grieving process, however, will not occur easily or quickly, but becomes possible:
“It is obvious that the disappearance without trace of a loved one (and even more so of one’s child) can leave parents in a state of prolonged suspension, oscillating between hope and despair, making it difficult or even impossible to progress towards the acceptance of loss The discovery of the body marks the end of uncertainty and allows an anchoring in reality, however painful it may be.
A reality which will gradually also allow mourning rituals such as funerals to take place.
The need to understand in order to move forward
The discovery of Lina’s body therefore puts an end to the uncertainty. But to be able to truly accept this mourning, parents and loved ones will undoubtedly have to wait for the disastrous details brought by the investigation. Without them, the process can be confusing.
“This step, confirmation of the child’s death, is not a guarantee of immediate well-being,” reveals our expert. “Parents must also understand what happened, who is responsible? Accident? Homicide? All of these elements are obviously just as essential to the grieving process.”
And unfortunately, there is no way to know if all the answers can be provided, the main suspect having committed suicide.