Moroccan Man Arrested in Connection with Two Decades-Old Murders in Isère

The Laïla Afif case had begun tragically on May 12, 2000 in Villefontaine, recalls Le Parisien. This mother of five had disappeared after leaving her home. Her body was found the next day in a canal in La Verpillère, bearing the marks of two .22 LR caliber bullets. The investigation, which had remained at a standstill for two decades, was relaunched in 2022 thanks to the national jurisdiction for serial and unsolved crimes in Nanterre. Advanced DNA analyzes made it possible to identify three male profiles at the crime scene. One of them led the investigators to Mohammed C., a former Renault worker living in Dijon.

What led them to him was the DNA of his son, registered for a sexual assault case. This genetic match allowed them to link him to one of the DNA found at the murder scene of Laïla Afif. An unexpected twist that opened a new lead for the investigators.

In parallel, the gendarmes looked into the murder of Nathalie Boyer, a 15-year-old teenager who disappeared in Villefontaine on August 2, 1988. Her body had been found the same day, along a railway track in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier. The young girl had been slit. Here again, the investigation had bogged down despite the emotion aroused by this case and other disappearances in the region at the same time.

Investigating judge Sabine Khéris, in charge of the two cases, decided to join them, intrigued by several concordant elements. Mohammed C. lived in Villefontaine at the time of the two murders. In addition, the victims seemed to have been approached by their aggressor at a bus stop, suggesting a modus operandi.

However, quite clear differences persist between the two cases, notably the age of the victims and the modus operandi used. These elements raise questions about the suspect’s motivations and leave open the possibility of other potential victims.

Placed in custody, Mohammed C. initially denied any involvement in Laïla Afif’s murder. The investigators have 96 hours to question him, an extended deadline due to the serial nature of the crimes. The investigation continues in an attempt to shed light on these two sordid cases that have marked the region.