On Monday, April 20, 2026, the prosecutor’s office in Nantes announced the opening of a judicial investigation into the disappearance of a 31-year-old woman and her 15-month-old daughter from Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc, a commune located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique department of western France.
The case centers on Manon Relandeau, an agricultural worker originally from Chantonnay in the Vendée department, who had been living in Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc for three years, where she operated a horse boarding facility and raised Nantais cattle. According to local reports, she was described by neighbors as hardworking and sociable.
Her disappearance was first reported by relatives on April 3, 2026, after they lost contact with her. Gendarmes responded to her residence and conducted searches of the surrounding area, including her 65-hectare property, but found no trace of her or her daughter, Inaya.
Investigators quickly determined that the woman’s partner, identified as Karim, a 41-year-old man ten years her senior, had fled the country with their infant daughter. Surveillance footage and witness accounts indicate that he departed for Algeria on April 2, 2026, the day before the disappearance was reported, taking the child with him.
Following the alert, authorities launched a large-scale search operation over the Easter weekend of April 2025, deploying ground teams, tracking dogs and a helicopter that flew low over the rural area near the Ferme du Chêne-Creux, where the couple had resided for several months in a rented home. The property had been acquired by Manon Relandeau in December 2023 for her agricultural activities.
On April 20, 2026, the Nantes prosecutor confirmed that the investigation had been opened for “murder by a spouse” and “abduction of a minor,” citing evidence suggesting the woman may have been killed before the partner fled with their child. The magistrate overseeing the case stated that the hypothesis of a femicide followed by flight was being prioritized at this stage of the inquiry.
The prosecutor emphasized that the matter had now been transferred to an investigating judge, limiting further public commentary on active investigative steps. No arrests have been made, and the suspect remains at large, believed to be in Algeria with the child.
The case has drawn attention due to the vulnerability of the victims and the transnational element of the suspect’s alleged flight. Authorities continue to coordinate with international partners in efforts to locate the suspect and the missing child.
As of the latest update, no bodies have been recovered, and the investigation remains active under judicial supervision.
Readers seeking official updates are advised to consult the website of the French Ministry of Justice or the Nantes prosecutor’s office for verified communications regarding procedural developments.
If you have any information related to this case, please contact local law enforcement or the national anti-child abduction hotline.
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