AOSTA - Auriane, a 22-year-old French woman, was found dead in an abandoned church in Italy. Her partner, the main suspect, has been arrested and placed in provisional detention.

 On April 5, the body of a young woman was discovered by a hiker in a ruined church in the Aosta Valley, northern Italy. According to Italian media, it is an abandoned building located in the hamlet of Equilivaz, in the middle of the La Salle woods. The victim had multiple stab wounds to the neck and abdomen.

 The young woman's death dates back to March 26 or 27, stated Aosta's Attorney General, Luca Ceccanti, during a press conference on Thursday, April 11, adding that the murder had "probably" occurred in the chapel. According to him, the perpetrator of the murder, who placed the young woman's body "in a fetal position," wanted to make it appear as though she had died in her sleep. The victim's phone and the murder weapon have not been found, he said.

 The young woman and her boyfriend, the main suspect in the case, arrived in Italy on March 25. The couple had been spotted walking by a villager on April 2. This witness provided a description to the Turin daily La Stampa: "She was very beautiful but had a pale, emaciated face. He had black curls and an olive complexion. They were dressed like two Goths, all in black. Like those kids who worship death."

 Her partner, Teima Sohaib, a 21-year-old Italian national, is the main suspect in the investigation opened by Italian justice for "premeditated murder." The young woman had previously filed a complaint against her partner for "domestic violence," before retracting it.

 The 21-year-old man, residing in Grenoble, was initially served with a European arrest warrant issued by the Italian judicial authorities. Pending a hearing before the chamber of instruction scheduled for Thursday, April 18, he was placed under extradition custody by a judge of the court of appeal.

 The young man is therefore targeted by two separate proceedings. The first investigation opened by Italian justice is for "premeditated murder" following the discovery of the body of the young French woman. "The accusation we are making is that of murder aggravated by premeditation and emotional relationship with the victim," said Aosta's Attorney General, Luca Ceccanti, during a press conference on Thursday. "It is obviously a femicide," he added, ruling out the hypothesis of kidnapping.

 The second procedure concerns the violation of his judicial supervision, ordered for acts of domestic violence.

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