Two teenagers were reportedly abducted, stabbed, and forced to dig their own graves in a forest in a chilling incident believed to be connected to drug-related conflicts. The victims, aged 14 and 16, were taken on the evening of January 2 from a hotel parking lot in Carquefou, a suburb near Nantes, by several masked individuals. Witnesses observed the teenagers being coerced into a vehicle, but when authorities arrived promptly, 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, found the two injured boys at his doorstep. Both youths displayed visible injuries, including bloodied faces, cut fingers, and signs of extreme distress. One of the teenagers had a stab wound on his thigh. The resident immediately contacted the authorities and administered first aid before the victims were transported to Nantes University Hospital for medical care.
According to their accounts to investigators, the teenagers were taken to a nearby forest, confined in a car trunk, and subjected to brutal physical assault. The assailants stripped them, beat them, and made death threats. The teenagers were also held at gunpoint and forced to dig a hole that could have been their graves using only their hands. Subsequently, the police located the described site, uncovering the teenagers’ discarded clothes and the dug-out hole.
The Nantes public prosecutor, Antoine Leroy, confirmed the initiation of an inquiry into charges of kidnapping, unlawful detention, and violent acts. The local criminal investigation department suspects that the incident may be related to settling scores in the drug trade, potentially stemming from disputes among traffickers over territory.
The younger teenager, originally from Angers, was reportedly evading authorities for several months before the abduction. Both victims have provided statements to the authorities, although they have been hesitant to divulge intricate details of the ordeal.
The investigation is being conducted by the gendarmes of Nantes’ research brigade. Prosecutor Leroy mentioned progress in identifying the perpetrators of the harrowing abduction but as of now, no arrests have been made.
