Overview
- The 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother were abducted near Grenoble and held about 30 hours in a garage in the Drôme before a neighbor helped them escape.
- Prosecutors say kidnappers sent a photo to the magistrate’s partner and demanded a cryptocurrency ransom with threats of mutilation, yet no payment was made.
- Police launched a large-scale search involving roughly 160 officers, and the women were found in Bourg-lès-Valence and taken to hospital with injuries.
- Authorities have detained multiple suspects—prosecutors cited five in custody as of Sunday, while other outlets report six including a minor—with roles being clarified and charges expected.
- Two suspects were reportedly stopped while attempting to travel to Spain, and investigators are probing potential organized networks as France confronts a rise in so-called wrench attacks.