Maëva and Martin, aged 20, were found dead and buried in the garden of a house: a man aged around 30 arrested

The bodies of the victims found in a garden

The bodies of Maëva Gazé and Martin Delamare aged 20, a couple, who disappeared on Wednesday, were found in the garden of a house on Thursday in Saint-Martin-aux-Chartrains, a town near Deauville.

“A man aged around thirty, residing in the town of Saint-Martin-aux-Chartrains, who would have been in contact with the victims on the day of January 22, is currently actively sought by the national gendarmerie,” had the Caen prosecutor said on Friday, specifying that this man was “potentially armed and dangerous”.

30 months suspended sentence for attempted homicide and chase in Sambreville

The gendarmerie had mobilized 160 gendarmes, a helicopter and a dog team from Thursday to Saturday to find the suspect.

The autopsy of the deceased young man confirmed that he “presented head trauma and traces of violent blows to the face” and that he “was the victim of a gunshot”. The autopsy of his partner will take place “at the beginning of next week”, added the prosecutor.

The Caen prosecutor’s office said Thursday evening that it was unaware of “the circumstances in which these two young people were killed” and the possible motivations for the double homicide. “No hypothesis is excluded,” he said.

A judicial investigation was opened against X on charges of murder and investigations are continuing under the direction of an investigating judge.