Younes Jratlou - found dead

AFP - Belgian police Tuesday found the body of a child in a river which appeared to be that of a missing four-year-old boy, a prosecutor said.

"Everything leads us to believe that it is little Younes," said prosecutor Marie-Claude Maertens at a news conference late Tuesday.

Younes Jratlou went missing on the night of October 25 when he left the family home barefoot and lightly dressed, after an argument between his parents, according to the initial investigation by prosecutors.

The body was found in the Lys river at the Belgian-French border, near a lock at Comines, which is about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from where the boy had disappeared, Maertens said.

The prosecutor also said the body had not been weighed down underneath the water, contrary to some earlier media reports.

The police chief in Comines, Sebastien Dauchy, said that investigators had previously searched the Lys river at the same spot but had found nothing.

"It was a boatman who saw a body mass in the water," Maertens said.

"He was wearing a sweater, underpants and trousers which matched the description given by the parents," she said.

"Now the priority is to identify (the body) with certainty."

Maertens said that confirming that it is Younes's body was essential in order to "relaunch the investigation" into his disappearance.


RIP little Younes!


http://www.france24.com/en/node/4922264

Another very suspect disapearance and death of a child in Belgian:

The little Younes( 4 years old) who, according to the family left the house in the middle of the night in October ( a lot of people searched, Interpol was involved), who was found in a river this week,did not die by drowning but , as the autopsie revealed, was violently hit on the face. In the night , a violent quarrell took place between the parents and, according to the brother, the child left ( bare feet) during the quarrel. Thre Procuror said she won't give any comment till the end of the autopsie's results but the Belgian medias leaked some elements. From Le Figaro :


"Younes ne se serait pas noyé

lefigaro.fr
14/11/2009 | Mise à jour :
Crédits photo : AFP
Selon des fuites parues dans les médias belges, les médecins légistes n'ont trouvé aucune trace d'eau dans les poumons du petit garçon dont le corps a été retrouvé mardi dans une rivière. Younes serait donc décédé avant sa chute dans la Lys.

L'autopsie du corps de Younes, retrouvé mardi dernier dans la rivière la Lys, n'a pas permis de lever le mystère des causes de sa mort. Selon le rapport d'autopsie, que se sont procurés les médias belges, le garçonnet de quatre ans, disparu le soir du 25 octobre de sa maison de Comines, à la frontière franco-belge, après une dispute entre ses parents, ne s'est pas noyé. Les médecins légistes n'auraient retrouvé aucune trace d'eau dans les poumons de l'enfant. Or, «l'absence d'eau implique inévitablement que l'enfant serait mort avant de se retrouver dans l'eau », souligne le quotidien le Soir.

Selon RTL Belgique, Younes ne portait pas non plus de liens aux bras ou aux jambes, et ne présentait aucun coup consécutif à un choc avec un quelconque véhicule. Plus troublant, l'information de Sud Presse qui rapporte que «le visage de l'enfant présenterait manifestement des traces de coups récents». Ces éléments, s'ils sont exacts, éloignent la piste accidentelle, estime le Soir.


Le père de Younes auditionné pendant huit heures

Des affirmations pour le moment non confirmées. La justice belge s'est refusée à tout commentaire. Interrogé à deux reprises vendredi matin, le parquet de Tournai a souligné qu'il restera muet afin de ne pas entraver le travail des enquêteurs. La juge d'instruction Van Den Noortgaete entend poursuivre son enquête dans le calme et la sérénité. Il n'y a aura donc aucune communication sur ce dossier.

Jeudi soir, Mohamed Jratlou, le père Younes, a été entendu près de 8 heures, d'abord par la police de Comines, ensuite par la police fédérale. Vers 22 heures, l'homme est sorti libre des locaux judiciaires. Selon le témoignage de son frère aîné, Younes, aurait quitté son domicile «pieds nus et vêtu très légèrement» dans la nuit du dimanche 25 au lundi 26 octobre à la suite d'une violente querelle entre ses parents au cours de laquelle il aurait été légèrement blessé. "




"Younes would not have drowned

lefigaro.fr
14/11/2009 | Updated:
Photo credits: AFP
According to leaks published in the Belgian media, medical examiners found no trace of water in the lungs of the little boy whose body was found Tuesday in a river. Younes would be dead before his fall in the Lys.

The autopsy of Younes, found last Tuesday in the River Lys, did not dispel the mystery cause of his death. According to the autopsy report, that have procured the Belgian media, the boy of four, disappeared the evening of October 25 his house Komen, the Franco-Belgian border, after an argument between his parents, not 's is not drowned. Medical examiners could find no trace of water in the lungs of the child. But "the absence of water inevitably means that the child died before ending up in water," said the daily Le Soir.

According to RTL Belgium, Younes did not link arms or legs, and showed no stroke following a collision with any vehicle. More disturbing information South Presse reports that "the child's face has obvious bruises lately. These elements, if accurate, the track away accidentally, said the Evening.


The father of Younes auditioned for eight hours

Assertions yet unconfirmed. The Belgian court declined to review. Asked twice Friday morning, the floor of Tournai said he will remain silent in order not to hinder the work of investigators. The judge Van Den Noortgaete intends to continue its investigation into the calm and serenity. There will be no communication on this issue.

Thursday evening Jratlou Mohamed, the father Younes has been heard around 8 hours, first by the police Komen, then by the federal police. Around 22 hours, the man was released free of court premises. According to the testimony of his brother, Yunis, left his home "barefoot and dressed very lightly in the night from Sunday 25 to Monday, October 26 following a violent quarrel between his parents during which he was slightly injured. "

Poor little laddie. The older brother says he walked out after a violent quarrel between the parents in which he was "slightly injured."? I just don't believe that small children wander off into the night. They might find somewhere to hide in their home, or curl up in a corner or on a bed, but walk out and disappear? I cannot see that happening. I can imagine a small child being very upset about a violent quarrel and getting in the way, though. So many little children being harmed and killed and mostly by their parents. Rest in peace little laddie.

Previous news as it broke:

Massive search to find missing boy
The four-year-old boy, Younes Jratlou, disappeared during the night between Sunday and Monday following an argument between his parents.
The family lives in the village of Bizet/Ploegsteert (Comines-Warneton), close to the French border. The association Child Focus has distributed posters, while the police have deployed a large force to find the little boy.

"It’s becoming quite a worry now, the boy’s only four years old. I don’t want to see him having to pass another night away from home,” declared Alain Remue, the police chief in charge of the federal police disappearance unit.

Update: 10 November - Younes has been found in a river dead.

RIP Younes x


Updates to follow....