Missing French teen: over one month in, here's how far the hunt for Lina has come

Lina, 15, disappeared in on September 23. Over a month later, where does the investigation stand?

Lina investigation update
© Photo gendarmerie
Lina investigation update

On September 23, at around 11:20am, 15-year-old Lina disappeared. According to the Brussels Times:

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The teenager disappeared late on Saturday morning after leaving her home to go to Saint-Blaise-la-Roche station, about three kilometres away, a journey she was used to making.

She wasdue to take the train to Strasbourg to spend the day with her boyfriend, Tao.

Refusal to speak on camera

In the early days of her disappearance, numerous hunts took place in the area where the teenager had vanished, ponds were searched, and many testimonies were heard, but unfortunately, no information has led to finding Lina for the time being.

Many of those close to the young girl also spoken to the media, including her best friend, Mélina, and one of her colleagues, Zoé. However, from now on, no one close to Lina is willing to speak on camera, a request made by the investigators as well as her mother.

Various theories

In the town of La Plaine, residents live in fear of a new tragedy since the disappearance of Lina, and theories abound as to what might have happened to the young girl. Many believe she was abducted by a prostitution ring. 'Such a beautiful girl, I wouldn't be surprised. Unfortunately, she's either dead or in Eastern Europe,' a shopkeeper told BFM TV.

In the first few weeks, local residents and the media were inundated with information about Lina's disappearance, but the police are now working in the shadows to try and find her. They are particularly interested in a tragedy that happened a few weeks before the young woman's disappearance, since a murder took place just a few kilometers from where Lina vanished.

Suspicions were also raised about those close to Lina as her friend claimed the most recent messages they exchanged were different from usual:

An RTL journalist explained:

The last text messages she sent did not correspond to those sent by the young teenager. The replies were short and written, whereas she often sent audio messages. Messages with punctuation, which Lina never used.

Furthermore, Lina's boyfriend claimed to have lost his phone while searching for her. The phone, which had fallen into a manhole at a factory, has since been recovered and seized by the police. Lina's boyfriend is not currently considered a suspect but the whole affair continues to make no sense.

Recently, a man even sent GPS coordinates to Lina's family telling them where to find her. Hopefully the investigation advances soon...

This article has been adapted from Oh!MyMag Fr.

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Source used:

Brussels Times:Large-scale coordinated operation underway in France to find missing teenager

BFM TV

RTL

Missing French teen: One month after Lina's disappearance her mother speaks out, 'I won't give up' Missing French teen: One month after Lina's disappearance her mother speaks out, 'I won't give up'