Sihem left her home in La Grand Combe, in the Gard department, in the south of France on the night of January 25 to 26. She went to her grandmother’s for a while, but after that nothing was heard from her. Relatives tried unsuccessfully to call and text her, but she did not answer.
That is why her father called the police, after which a major investigation was started. A police helicopter and several sniffer dogs were used in the search, among other things.
Niece and ex-boyfriend arrested
On Monday, two people were arrested in the investigation: Sihem’s niece (30) and his ex-boyfriend Mahfoud H. (39). After long interrogations, Mahfoud confessed last night, according to the French newspaper Le Parisien, among others, that he was involved in Sihem’s death.
According to Le Parisien, Mahfoud would have stated that Sihem was in love with him, but that he did not want a relationship because Sihem was his ex’s niece. An argument would then have arisen, after which Mahfoud wanted to silence Sihem by pressing his hand over her mouth. According to him, Sihem then died of suffocation.
‘His mistake is unforgivable’
Mahfoud’s lawyer, Jean-Marc Darrigade, tells various French media that his client indeed tipped off the police last night about Sihem’s location. “I assisted a man who decided to face his heavy responsibility in the disappearance of Sihem,” says the lawyer. “He wanted to end the unbearable tension of the family members by helping the investigators. He knows his mistake is inexcusable, but keeping quiet would only have made things worse.”
Mahfoud is known to the police, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2015 for multiple armed robberies.
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