The 13-year-old schoolgirl was found safe and sound in Normandy, with a 21-year-old young man suspected of having kidnapped and kidnapped her. Placed in police custody, the individual is involved in the kidnapping of another teenage girl which occurred a few months ago.
Morgane Rivoal, aged 13, was found alive in Coutances on Tuesday December 11, in Manche in Normandy. She was found by the Rennes research section in good health in a home for young workers, more precisely in the room of a 21-year-old young man suspected of having kidnapped and kidnapped her.
According to information from France Info, it is information according to which the 13-year-old schoolgirl was seen with a young man in the southwest which would have made it possible to locate her, this Tuesday, in Normandy. The 21-year-old young man who hosted her has already been implicated for the kidnapping of another 14-year-old girl last April, the Saint-Brieuc public prosecutor announced at a press conference on Wednesday, December 11. . The suspect was also to be tried for these facts in Beauvais, but due to his arrest the hearing was postponed. He is not registered in the File of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais).
He was placed in police custody for “kidnapping, sequestration of a minor under the age of fifteen”. Morgane was examined by a doctor and was interviewed by investigators”, indicates France Bleu Breizh. According to information available to Ouest France, Morgane was found “free to move” at the young man’s house. The suspect’s parents live in Bretagne; the latter was born in Rennes and lived in a hostel for young workers in Coutances, where he was employed under an apprenticeship contract.
Since November 25, numerous gendarmes, accompanied by a helicopter and tracking dogs, were requisitioned to find the trace of the teenager in Côtes-d’Armor. Without success until Tuesday, December 10. The teenager had left the family home, located in the town of Pabu, a few kilometers north of Guingamp, on Monday November 25, as usual, to go to the Albert Camus college in Grâces, in the near suburb of Guingamp, where she goes to school. A journey made partly on foot, then by bus. She ultimately never made it to the school.
While an argument with her parents apparently occurred during the weekend which preceded her disappearance, particularly over the use of social networks, an argument during which “her father allegedly broke his daughter’s cell phone and took it from her.” her SIM card”, Morgane had stayed with her brothers and sisters in the family home on Sunday. His father worked until the evening, outside the home.
A farewell message and more than 110 auditions
According to the testimony of a friend of the teenager, Morgane “was able to indicate on social networks that she would not come to class on Monday”. The public prosecutor revealed on Monday December 2 that a farewell message was also found in his trash can. “Dad, mom, sorry (sic), I’m leaving,” it reads.
At the same time, “more than 110 auditions” were carried out. In addition to Morgane’s family and friends, several adult men, who spoke with the 13-year-old girl via social networks, were questioned. Two had particularly caught the attention of investigators: one aged 21 and living in Drôme, the other aged 29 living in Eure. But no relevant element emerged from their hearings.
18:46 – Met three months ago on Snapchat
Morgane and the young man arrested had therefore never seen each other physically before Monday, November 25. Their meeting dates back three months, on the social network Snapchat, “on a group called ‘gold group’ made up of adults and minors, knowing that Morgane presented herself as a 14-year-old girl”, specified during the conference of urges the public prosecutor of Saint-Brieuc. And Nicolas Heitz details their conversations: “During these exchanges [sur Snapchat ndlr.]Morgane was able to say that she was the victim of harassment by reporting suicidal comments and photos of scarification.”
18:35 – The press conference is over
The public prosecutor has finished speaking on the Morgane affair. As announced at the start of the conference, there were no questions from the press.
18:29 – Morgane hospitalized, investigation continues
Safe, the teenager was hospitalized to carry out various examinations. A social assessment of the situation will be requested, the objective being to put in place possible protective measures. For their part, investigators continue their work. They wish to determine precisely whether Morgane is being held against her will, or not.
18:26 – The young man admitted to being at fault
While in police custody, the young man arrested recognized the age difference between Morgane and himself, as well as the difference in build. He also said he was stressed and anxious and felt at fault. On the other hand, he declared that he never had an intimate relationship with the 13-year-old girl and that he never exchanged intimate photos either.
18:22 – The young man ensures that Morgane could leave the room
While the teenager claims that she was locked in the bedroom without being able to get out, the young man arrested assured that this was not the case and that the bedroom door had a sort of latch, like a hotel room door, allowing you to open from the inside. He said he explained to the young girl how to do it. The fact that the door can be opened from the inside has been verified and validated by the investigators. As for entering the young workers’ home, the two young people explained that they had gone through the emergency exit. The young man also claims to have offered to take Morgane home.
18:19 – A meeting on social networks
Morgane and the young man arrested met on a social network. The teenager would have particularly expressed her discomfort to the young man, evoking suicidal desires. A subject which could have particularly affected the young man since he claims to have, like Morgane, been the subject of harassment. On Sunday, the day before his disappearance, Morgane, who had until then never seen the individual in real life, asked him to come and get her, because she wanted to leave. She would have given him an address to which he would have gone. There, she allegedly showed him a bag with her clothes meaning that she wanted to leave.
18:14 – The young man arrested is suspected of having already kidnapped another teenage girl last April
If he is ultimately not registered in the automated file of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais) and he only has one conviction for speeding on his criminal record, the young man arrested in the case Morgane is suspected of having previously kidnapped another teenage girl, 14 years old, on April 8, 2024. He was also due to answer for his facts at the Beauvais court these days. Due to his absence, the hearing was postponed.
18:11 – Morgane made the decision to leave her parents’ house
During her interview with investigators, Morgane revealed “to have developed an important network on social networks, a source of conflicts with her parents”, by the way. The week before her disappearance, the teenager claims to have had an argument with her friends at school. This was followed by another argument at the weekend with his parents, during which his father notably broke his cell phone. On Sunday evening, she therefore made the decision to leave and contacted the young man arrested to come and pick her up, which he did the next day. She also deleted all her social media accounts. When she was hosted by the young man, she claims to have had access to a computer.
18:09 – Morgane is not injured and claims not to have had sexual intercourse with the young man
Morgane was found safe and sound on Tuesday morning in the room occupied by the 21-year-old young man in the young workers’ home in Coutances. It was locked and the curtains were drawn so that no one could see him. If the young girl claims to have had no sexual intercourse with the arrested individual, she affirms that she could not leave the room as she wanted. While she was placed in the juvenile unit of Saint-Brieuc hospital, examinations revealed that she had no injuries. Samples must make it possible to know whether or not there have been reports. The results of the analyzes are not known at this stage.
18:07 – The 21-year-old young man not registered in Fijais
Contrary to what has been relayed in recent days in the media, the young man arrested in the Morgane affair is not registered in the automated file of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais).
18:05 – The tracing of his phone made it possible to find the young man who was hosting Morgane
Alerted by the mother, the police followed the trail of the young man in question. It was quickly noted that the individual who had presented himself at his home had stopped around 6 a.m. on November 25 in Pabu, the town and date of Morgane’s disappearance. The young man was then spotted, still using his phone, in Coutances. It was there that the gendarmes finally arrested him, without difficulty, at his workplace. He was immediately taken into custody.
18:02 – The testimony of a 37-year-old woman helped find Morgane
On Monday, a 37-year-old woman living in Val-de-Livenne, in Gironde, “presented herself to the Montendre gendarmerie, in Charente-Maritime, to explain that a young individual came to her home in the night of December 7 to 8, 2024. He wanted to speak to his son, who was sleeping. The mother therefore refused. However, she noticed that a young girl was in the car. It was Morgana. She therefore quickly alerted the police.
18:00 – The public prosecutor speaks
The press conference on the Morgane affair has just started. The prosecutor warns from the outset that his speech will not be followed by questions from journalists.
17:56 – Prosecutor’s press conference about to begin
The day after the discovery of Morgane, alive and safe in Coutances, the public prosecutor of Saint-Brieuc must speak at 6 p.m. to take stock of the case. We already know that a 21-year-old young man, who hosted the teenager found in a young workers’ home, was arrested on Tuesday. He was placed in police custody for “arrest, kidnapping and sequestration of a minor under 15 years of age”, reports BFMTV. Morgane, 13, had not given any sign of life since November 25. She was finally found 200 km from home two weeks later.
09:17 – Investigators found Morgane thanks to a resident of La Rochelle
According to information from Télégramme de Brest, investigators were alerted by a resident of La Rochelle in the context of this disappearance case. The young man suspected of kidnapping allegedly showed up at this woman’s house claiming to be a friend of her son. There, he would have asked her if she had a room to accommodate a teenager, probably Morgane. La Rochelaise would have contacted the police to share her questions about this young man.