The body of 22-year-old Auriane Nathalie Laisne was discovered in an abandoned church in Italy, drained of blood and bearing stab and gunshot wounds. It’s speculated that she might have been participating in a ghost-hunting TikTok challenge.
Laisne, originally from Saint-Priest near Lyon, was found by a hiker in a fetal position, her sweatshirt soaked in blood, days after her boyfriend Teima Sohaib, allegedly killed her inside the deserted church located in Aosta Valley. Sohaib, a 21-year-old Egyptian Italian residing in Grenoble, France, had a domestic violence case against him in France, which forbade him from approaching Laisne.
Authorities suspect Laisne’s death could be linked to a popular ghost-hunting trend on TikTok in France. The case is being characterized as a “classic femicide,” driven by possessiveness and control over the victim. Luca Ceccanti, the prosecutor in Aosta, labeled it as premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances. Sohaib was arrested in Lyon shortly after Laisne’s body was discovered. Witnesses described the couple as dressed like “vampires,” and one witness recalled Laisne appearing emaciated and corpse-like before her demise.
Woman Dressed as ‘Vampire’ Found Dead in Italy Church, Possibly Due to TikTok Stunt (Credits: Business Insider)
Investigators are exploring the possibility of Laisne’s death being a “consented murder” or sacrifice, given the absence of struggle at the crime scene and her bloodless state. Medical examiner Roberto Testi and police suggested she might have been stabbed with a camping knife and subsequently shot after death. Laisne’s body was found alongside groceries, including a bag of pink marshmallows, and her blood had been removed from the crime scene.
The couple was reportedly traveling around Europe and had asked locals about abandoned villages suitable for camping. The abandoned church where Laisne was discovered was not a tourist spot and was relatively unknown even to locals.
A murder investigation has been initiated in Grenoble, shedding light on the complexities of intimate partner violence and the potential dangers associated with online challenges. The tragic incident underscores the importance of addressing domestic violence and understanding the influence of social media trends on behavior.
