Police in France Reportedly Shoot Dead Suspect in Teen Beheading Case

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Law enforcement officers in the southern French city of Marseille have eliminated the suspected murderer of a 13-year-old minor, whose decapitated body was found over the weekend, French media reported on Monday.

The police were searching for the teenager, who was believed to have run away from home several days earlier, and after receiving a call from a citizen, who said he has seen a human body in a neighboring house, discovered a headless corpse without a hand in one of the houses in the Tarascon commune. The head of the victim was also found in the house along with several satanic objects. The suspect in the murder — the owner of the house — was declared wanted.

After being spotted by the police in the neighboring Arles commune, the suspect tried to escape and was shot dead, BFMTV said.

The suspect is reportedly known to have been convicted for acts of violence and to have mental disorders,

The investigation into the murder is underway, as the body found in Tarascon has yet to be identified.