A French man has admitted to murdering a little girl — all because he got angry over a game of Fortnite.
On Friday, February 7, as reported by Le Parisien, 11-year-old Louise Lasalle (pictured above) didn’t make it home after school. Her parents were immediately concerned, as this was unlike her, and decided to contact police and report her missing. She was last seen crossing a street in a neighboring town and it seemed like she just vanished in thin air. The little girl’s older sister shared a photo of her on social media, hoping someone would recognize her.
Police quickly got on the case and were able to locate CCTV footage of Louise wandering into the Bois des Templiers woods nearby her middle school. From there, they made a horrifying discovery. In the woods, around 2:30 a.m., law enforcement located the young girl’s body. So, so sad.
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French outlet Le Monde reported per legal docs that investigators found a man’s DNA on the girl’s hands, which led to the arrest and confession of a suspect named Owen L. The Times reported the suspect is an unemployed 23-year-old living at home with his parents with a history of petty crime. He was arrested in Louise’s hometown of Epinay-sur-Orge, which is about 16 miles south of Paris.
According to prosecutor Grégoire Dulin, per the outlet, the man told police he got “very angry” after losing a game of Fortnite before the killing:
“While playing Fortnite, he had an altercation online with another player who insulted him. Very angry, he stopped playing and went out to calm down.”
From there, Owen planned to “rob or extort money from someone to calm down,” per TF1, but “accidentally” crossed paths with Louise — “whom he did not know”:
“He spotted her mobile [phone], which she was carrying on a cord around her neck, and decided to follow her.”
Prosecutors state he ended up telling the little girl he’d lost something in the woods nearby and asked for her help. That’s where things turned fatal:
“When they reached a quiet spot, he told her he was going to search her things to steal money, while threatening her with a knife. She started screaming. Panicked, he pushed her to the ground and stabbed her.”
Horrifying! And so senseless! This poor little girl was a complete stranger and just trying to get home from school…
And that’s not the only disturbing part. Owen allegedly told his girlfriend he’d “done something serious” before attempting to clean up the evidence of his crimes with bleach. So his 24-year-old partner is also being charged — with failure to report a crime! It’s not yet clear how many charges her boyfriend faces.
The Times reported the suspect attempted to get another little girl to follow him into the woods, too — but she refused. Sadly Louise agreed, and it cost her her life.
This isn’t the first time Owen has had some pretty scary allegations pinned against him. His 19-year-old sister previously filed a complaint against him in April 2023, according to TF1. In the filings, she described him as “violent”, “nervous”, and “aggressive”. She even stopped speaking to him altogether after the complaint was filed. With what we’re hearing now, it’s put a whole new perspective on everything…
On Wednesday, Epinay-sur-Orge Mayor Olivier Marchau took to Facebook regarding the victim, writing in a translated post:
“Louise was a joyful young girl who just wanted to live her teenage life. My deepest thoughts go out to [her] family, relatives and friends.”
Beyond heartbreaking.
Our thoughts are with Louise’s family and loved ones. May she get the justice she deserves.
[Image via Epinay-sur-Orge/Facebook]
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