Cold Case Breakthrough: DNA Identifies Child’s Body Found on French Highway 30 Years Ago

For three decades, the family has remained silent about the death of the child. It took DNA samples taken from one of her brothers arrested in connection with another case two years ago for the identity of the body of the child found in a ditch on the A10 motorway near Blois (Loir-et-Cher) to be revealed. Investigators can now put a name to the body of the child martyr of the A10. The police are on the trail of his parents.

In June 2018, Ahmed Touloub and his ex-wife had been arrested in Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne) and indicted for murder, habitual violence on a minor under 15 and concealment of a body, then incarcerated. The conclusions of the forensic pathologists are unequivocal: burns, deep bites on the chest and cheeks, "habitual and old violence", reports Le Parisien.

In June 2019, Inass’ father, 66, was acquitted after pleading not guilty. "The mother is solely responsible for the facts," insisted his lawyer, Frank Berton. Halima El Bakhti in turn left prison on June 12 and was placed under house arrest with electronic surveillance. "This is not a release, insists the magistrate, but a house arrest with electronic surveillance (ARSE), linked to her state of health and the ability of one of her sons to house her with him."

The facts date back to August 10, 1987. That day, Ahmed’s family was preparing to go to Morocco. At night, Halima would have pushed Inass down the stairs. The little girl was no longer moving. The head of the family had meanwhile returned home. His wife told him that the child had fallen down the stairs leading from her room to the toilet. Except that Inass’ two older sisters, aged 8 and 6, would have told their father that it was their mother who pushed Inass down the stairs "saying she didn’t know how to go down to the toilet alone".

The mother confessed to having hit her daughter when she had crises "but not to that extent". The family takes a "hasty" and "quick" departure late at night. The father, the mother who is carrying Inass, another sister and the three brothers, the youngest of whom was less than two weeks old, get into the golden beige Citroën BX. They take a break and then continue on their way. At the bar, the mother of the family declared in 2018 that the 4-year-old child was still alive when getting into the BX. According to her, the little girl died later during the journey. "She said mum and then she didn’t speak anymore, she wasn’t breathing anymore," she confided.

To this day, investigators do not know whether it was the mother or the father who deposited Inass’ body, in Suèvres (Loir-et-Cher), in a ditch on the A10, 33 years earlier. The mystery remains entire.