In a distressing incident believed to be connected to drug-related disputes, two adolescents were allegedly abducted, stabbed, and coerced to dig their own graves in a wooded area.
The youths, aged 14 and 16, were taken from a hotel parking lot in Carquefou on the night of January 2 by several individuals wearing masks. Witnesses observed the teenagers being forced into a vehicle. Despite a prompt response from authorities, the teenagers and the car could not be located.
Around 3:00 am, a resident of La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, about ten kilometers away, found the injured teenagers at his doorstep. Both victims exhibited visible injuries, including facial wounds, cut fingers, and signs of extreme distress.
One of the teenagers sustained a stab wound to the thigh. The resident immediately alerted the authorities and administered initial aid. Subsequently, the victims were transported to Nantes University Hospital for medical attention.
As per their statements to investigators, the teenagers were taken to a nearby forest, confined in a car trunk, and subjected to severe physical abuse. The assailants stripped them, physically assaulted them, and issued death threats.
Reportedly, a firearm was placed against their heads, and they were compelled to dig a hole with their hands, presumably intended as their burial site. Later, the police located the described area, recovering the victims’ discarded clothes and the excavated hole.
Antoine Leroy, the public prosecutor of Nantes, confirmed the initiation of an inquiry into charges of abduction, unlawful detention, and violent acts.
Authorities from the local criminal investigation unit suspect the incident could be linked to settling scores in the drug trade, potentially stemming from disputes among traffickers over territories.
The younger teenager, originally from Angers, had reportedly been evading capture for several months before the abduction. Both victims have provided statements to the authorities, though they appeared hesitant to provide detailed accounts of the ordeal.
The investigation is presently under the direction of the gendarmes from the Nantes research unit. Prosecutor Leroy indicated progress in identifying the perpetrators of the violent abduction, with no confirmed arrests at this juncture.