Missing 12-Year-Old Found Dead In Suitcase With Numbers Mysteriously 'Placed' On Her Body

Authorities have launched a murder investigation after the body of a 12-year-old girl was found stacked in a suitcase with her throat slashed and two numbers mysteriously "placed" on her corpse.

The shocking discovery was made in Paris, France, on the night of Oct. 14, just hours after her parents reported her missing following her failure to return home from school, the New York Post reported.

The girl, who was only identified as Lola, was last seen entering her building with a woman at around 3:20 p.m. local time, but she was never seen thereafter.

A man approached authorities to report a suspicious suitcase in Rue d'Hautpoul, several streets away from the family's residence, at 11:30 p.m. Police then found the girl's body squeezed into the plastic suitcase with her hands duct-taped in her back and her throat slit. Police said two numbers — 1 and 0 — were "placed" on her corpse with a "device."

Cops broke the news of the child's death to her parents at around 2 a.m. on Oct. 15.

The girl's father, who works as a caretaker in their building, told cops he saw CCTV footage where the youngster, carrying her backpack, could be seen walking behind a woman as both entered the building, according to the outlet.

The suspect, believed to be a woman in her 20s, donned a green hooded top and light trousers, while the victim was clad in a white outfit, based on the footage.

A local witness reportedly told French publication BFMTV that about two hours after they appeared in the surveillance clip, the woman was seen walking around with a seemingly heavy suitcase and even asking help from passers-by to carry it to a waiting car nearby. The suspect stopped at a bakery to buy a croissant while leaving the suitcase outside.

"We saw her go into the building, she was all alone .. [then] we saw her half an hour later with a suitcase, she was speaking a bit with everyone, she seemed to be a bit crazy," the witness said, as per the translation provided by Yahoo News. "It was 5 p.m. and she was walking around with that suitcase. She even left it outside a cafe and went to the bakery opposite to buy a croissant as if nothing had happened."

An autopsy was conducted on Oct. 15, and it was found that the girl died of asphyxiation. Police have since taken at least four people into custody, including the woman seen in the footage.

The public prosecutor's office reportedly confirmed that the third basement of the building had signs of struggle. Police also recovered a box cutter as well as a roll of Sellotape from the site.