Death of Lina: “strangulation”, “solitary action” of Samuel Gonin, “horizontal furrow under the chin”… what the medico-legal expertise reveals

Young Lina, a teenager who disappeared in 2023 in Alsace whose body was found in October in a river near Nevers, probably died by “mechanical strangulation”, the acting public prosecutor of Strasbourg said on Thursday, Alexandre Chevrier.

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“The autopsy operations did not make it possible to formally determine the cause of death,” notes Alexandre Chevrier. Nevertheless, certain clues support the hypothesis according to which the 15-year-old girl was strangled with the straps of a type bag. tote-bag (tote fabric bag).

Conclusions to be taken with “a certain caution”

In the autopsy report, the forensic doctors “took care to specify that their conclusions had to be considered with a certain caution due to the state of degradation of the body and its prolonged exposure to an aquatic environment”, underlines the magistrate. .

“It was nevertheless revealed a horizontal furrow under the chin, as well as the presence of tissue surrounding the cervical region and the base of the skull, these elements being in favor of mechanical strangulation using the tissue discovered” , continues the press release from Alexandre Chevrier.

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“The forensic doctors also noted the presence of linear cracks on the left part of the mandibular region, which could result from a traumatic action in the lower part of the mandible and in the upper part of the neck. Tissue analyzes allowed us to learn that it was a type bag tote-bag“.

A “solitary action” by Samuel Gonin

“These elements tend to demonstrate that the death was the result of a strangulation maneuver using the handles of this bag,” specifies Alexandre Chevrier. “If the analyzes make it possible to rule out death by drowning, it was however not possible to carry out a gynecological examination or sample,” continues the prosecutor.

Likewise, no details are given on the date of the young girl’s death. “To date, all the elements are in favor of solitary action on the part of Samuel Gonin,” specifies Alexandre Chevrier.

However, the main suspect will never be able to answer the many questions that remain unanswered in this case since he committed suicide at the beginning of July at his home in Besançon.