A 38-year-old former soldier who has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of a corporal is on trial from Monday for the kidnapping and murder of an 8-year-old girl, Maëlys, in the French Alps.
Nordahl Lelandais kidnapped her at the end of November 2017 in the late-night hours of a large wedding in Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin, near Chambéry in the French Alps. The whole of France was looking for the missing child until the now suspect Lelandais confessed in February 2018 and led the investigation to the remains.
The search for Maëlys and her murder shocked the whole country. Lelandais has also been linked to numerous other disappearances in the country. Corporal Arthur Noyer, who was beaten to death by Lelandais in April 2017, was missing for nearly five months until his remains were found. He and the girl Maëlys is still the only long-time missing persons associated with Lelandais.
Lelandais is also accused of sexually abusing children close to him.