Teens arrested after boy, 11, found dead 'with towel tied around neck'

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:40 BST, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 02:37 BST, 26 May 2026

Two teenagers have been arrested after an 11-year-old boy was found dead with a wet towel reportedly tied tightly around his neck on the banks of a river in France.Prosecutors said a 16-year-old boy was detained at his home, while a 15-year-old girl was apprehended after presenting herself to police.The victim's body was discovered after a fisherman alerted emergency services to the cries of a child at the River Vilaine in the northwestern city of Rennes.Divers were seen searching the river on Monday while several police vehicles blocked the area.Rennes prosecutor Frederic Teillet said the 'two young people who were seen with the victim at the scene' on the afternoon of the incident were currently in police custody on charges of 'the murder of a minor'.The victim was 11 years old and not 12 as initially reported, Mr Teillet said.One 57-year-old witness, Stephane, who was walking near the scene, said: 'A child of around 10, I can't believe it.' The victim's body was discovered after a fisherman alerted emergency services to the cries of a child at the Vilaine river (pictured) in the northwestern city of Rennes Divers were seen searching the river today while several police vehicles blocked the area Divers are pictured in the water at the scene. One 57-year-old witness, Stephane, who was walking near the scene, said: 'A child of around 10, I can't believe it' Forensics are seen searching an area - which has now been cordoned off - in the city of RennesAccording to the newspaper Ouest-France, firefighters had intervened to help the victim who was suffering from cardiac and respiratory arrest.Despite attempts to resuscitate the boy, he was pronounced dead.The events are said to have occurred 'in a wooded area at the foot of several apartment buildings, below the bridge that crosses over the Vilaine River'.The site is often frequented by fisherman and is a 10-minute walk from Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne - an historic public square.