{"id":3373,"date":"2026-05-25T05:01:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T05:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/mystery-as-boy-12-found-strangled-to-death-on-banks-of-vilaine-river\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T05:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T05:01:52","slug":"mystery-as-boy-12-found-strangled-to-death-on-banks-of-vilaine-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/mystery-as-boy-12-found-strangled-to-death-on-banks-of-vilaine-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Mystery as boy, 12, found strangled to death on banks of Vilaine river"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1c1e1b\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">The child&#8217;s lifeless body was found on the banks of the Vilaine river in the northwestern city of Rennes after a fisherman heard the cries of a child near the river<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37200834\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The young boy was found in a bush near the Vilaine river in Rennes on May 24\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200834.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/2_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200834.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/2_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200834.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/2_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200834.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/2_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The young boy was found in a bush near the Vilaine river in Rennes on May 24\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The young boy was found in a bush near the Vilaine river in Rennes on May 24<cite aria-label=\"Image: AFP via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">French police launched a <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/murder\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">murder<\/a> investigation on Sunday after after a 12-year-old boy was found dead near a city centre with a towel tied around his neck, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The child&#8217;s lifeless body was found on the banks of the Vilaine river in the northwestern city of <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/france\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Rennes<\/a>, the local prosecutors\u2019 office said in a statement. \u201cThe circumstances that led to the death have yet to be established,\u201d but \u201cthe involvement of a third party is among the hypotheses\u201d, it added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/fishing\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">fisherman<\/a> heard the cries of a child near the river at around 4:40pm on Sunday. He immediately called emergency services and firefighters rushed to the scene at 4:50pm. But after desperate all efforts the young boy was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37200835\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37200835\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Police at the scene\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200835.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200835.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200835.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37200835.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FRANCE-CRIME-INVESTIGATION.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Police investigators working on the site where the body of a 12-year-old boy was found\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Police investigators working on the site where the body of a 12-year-old boy was found<cite aria-label=\"Image: AFP via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The boy, who has not yet been formerly identified, had a wet towel tied very tightly around his neck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Police were at the scene on Sunday evening, carrying out examinations near a residential complex close to the river, an AFP journalist saw.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s a real shock. It&#8217;s a quiet neighborhood, not far from the center. I&#8217;ve never been bothered,&#8221; a local resident in her thirties, who declined to give her name, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Now the Organized and Specialized Crime Division of Rennes have opened a murder investigation into his tragic death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">This is<\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> a Breaking News story. 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