French Woman Found Dead in Abandoned Church After Ghost-Hunting Expedition
ROME — A 22-year-old French woman, whose blood-drained body was discovered in an abandoned church in Italy’s Aosta Valley, had embarked on a quest to find a haunted house believed to be inhabited by ghosts, as per police reports.
The young woman had confided in her family members about her intentions before departing from her village near Lyon, stated a police spokeswoman in the town of La Salle during an interview with CNN.
Authorities suspect that the victim may have been attempting to film a TikTok stunt, speculating that her demise could be linked to a ghost-hunting challenge circulating on the social media platform in France. Other plausible scenarios include a “consented murder” or ritual sacrifice, as well as an effort to orchestrate a social media prank within the desanctified church. Police are actively searching for a young man who was last seen with her. Furthermore, two other missing persons cases in the vicinity are being investigated for potential connections.
According to the spokeswoman, witnesses reported seeing the victim and a male companion in the area dressed in attire resembling vampires. One eyewitness described the young woman as pale and “emaciated,” while the man was noted for his dark hair and olive complexion. The witness likened her appearance to that of a “walking corpse.”
Upon examination by medical examiner Roberto Testi, it was determined that the deceased woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, had been fatally stabbed with a camping knife and had bled out. Additionally, she sustained two gunshot wounds to her neck and one to her abdomen, believed to have been inflicted post-mortem. Some of the blood at the crime scene had been tampered with and removed. No signs of a struggle were evident.
Authorities discovered a packet of pink marshmallows and groceries near the victim’s body, along with her attire consisting of beige leggings, a sweatshirt, and a long dark coat, purchased from a local store. She was found without any identification or a cellphone when a nearby resident stumbled upon her decomposing remains.
Prosecutor Manlio D’Ambrosi disclosed that investigators are probing the presence of a burgundy van captured on surveillance footage near the abandoned church in the preceding week. Further details were not provided by a spokesperson from the prosecutor’s office. — CNN
