Charente-Maritime: a woman abused and kidnapped for three years by her mother and sister – BFMTV

At the end of August, a 25-year-old woman fled her home, explaining that she had been held prisoner for three years. Her mother and sister were indicted for forcible confinement.

It is a dark affair “in connection with a religious rite followed to the letter” that the prosecutor of La Rochelle is trying to resolve. On the night of August 23 to 24, a 25-year-old woman took refuge with residents of Brignay. Dirty and hungry, she says she was held prisoner for three years by her mother and sister in a nearby house.

“She declares to have been abused on several occasions for having tried to rebel, to have been regularly deprived of meals, and to endure unworthy living conditions, all in connection with a religious rite followed to the letter by her mother and her sister” , details the prosecution to BFMTV, confirming information from South West.

Medical examinations conducted after his revelations show “a general deterioration in his health compatible with the alleged facts”. In addition, in the house where the young woman says she was held, investigators discover a room with an obstructed window and the floor soiled with dirt and excrement.

Converted to Mennonitism

However, the mother of the young woman denies any mistreatment, and rather evokes a voluntary confinement. The sister of the victim, for her part, remains silent, both during her police custody and before the magistrate charged with investigating the case. The two defendants, aged 58 for the mother and 27 for the sister, were indicted on the count of “criminal kidnapping” and placed in pre-trial detention.

According to our colleagues from South West, the suspects and their victim had converted to Mennonitism [une branche du protestantisme], and this devotion would have radically modified their way of life, with a withdrawal into themselves. A procedure was initiated in 2020 following a report sent by social services alerting to the precariousness of this family.