TWO teenagers have been questioned by police after a child was found dead with a wet towel tied around his neck, according to authorities.
The in the city of Rennes in northwestern .
Divers searched for evidence in the area of the river near where the boy was found Credit: AFP
Police have launched an investigation into the tragic death Credit: AFP
Prosecutors revealed that a wet towel had been tied tightly around his neck.
On Monday, a 16-year-old boy was detained in his home and a 15-year-old girl was arrested after turning herself into a station, Rennes prosecutor Frederic Teillet said.
“It is therefore the two young people who were seen with the victim at the scene on the afternoon of the incident who are currently in police custody” on charges of “murder of a minor,” he said in a statement.
Teillet confirmed the victim had been 11 years old, not 12 as initially announced.
Local fisherman alerted cops after hearing a child crying in the area, but was unable to locate him, investigators said.
The boy’s body was found a short time later.
Divers scoured the river on Monday as several police vehicles blocked off the area.
“A child of around 10, I can’t believe it,” a 57-year-old walking near the scene said.
The boy’s mother had been searching for him after he said he was going fishing with a friend Credit: AFP
A fisherman heard the boy screaming but could not find him, so alerted the authorities Credit: AFP
Firefighters intervened to try and help the victim who had been suffering from cardiac and respiratory arrest, according to French media outlet Ouest-France.
Despite their efforts, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The outlet also reported that the boy’s mother had been searching for him at the time the riverside ordeal unfolded.
He had told her he was going fishing in the area with a friend.
According to authorities, the ordeal took place “in a wooded area at the foot of several apartment buildings, below the bridge that crosses over the Vilaine River”.
Fishermen are often in the area, which is a 10 minute walk from Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne, a historic public square.
It remains unclear how the three minors knew each other.
The organised and specialised division has taken charge of the ongoing .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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