Two adolescents were reportedly abducted, assaulted, and coerced to dig their own graves in a wooded area in a frightening incident that authorities suspect may be tied to drug-related disagreements.
The two victims, aged 14 and 16, were taken from a hotel parking lot in Carquefou, a suburb near Nantes, by multiple masked individuals on the evening of January 2. Eyewitnesses observed the teenagers being forced into a vehicle. Despite swift police intervention, the teenagers and the car were nowhere to be found.
Around 3:00 am, a resident of La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, about ten kilometers away, discovered the injured boys at his doorstep. Both youths displayed visible injuries, including facial wounds, cut fingers, and signs of extreme distress.
One of the teenagers had sustained a stab wound to the leg. The resident promptly alerted the authorities and administered initial medical aid. Subsequently, the victims were transported to Nantes University Hospital for further 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. They were stripped, beaten, and menaced with death by their assailants.
Allegedly, a firearm was brandished at them, and they were compelled to excavate a pit with their bare hands, presumably intended as their burial site. Law enforcement later located the described area, uncovering the teenagers’ discarded garments and the dug-out hole.
Antoine Leroy, the public prosecutor of Nantes, confirmed the initiation of an inquiry into charges of abduction, illegal confinement, and violent acts.
Authorities from the local criminal investigation department suspect a possible connection between the assault and disputes within the drug trade, likely stemming from clashes among traffickers over territory.
The younger victim, who hails from Angers, had purportedly been evading capture for several months preceding the abduction. Both teenagers have provided testimonies to law enforcement, although they appeared hesitant to elaborate on the ordeal.
The investigation is currently under the purview of Nantes’ gendarmes research unit. Prosecutor Leroy noted progress in identifying the perpetrators of the brutal abduction, yet no arrests have been confirmed to date.