Searches are still underway to find Luca, who disappeared on the night of Friday January 19, 2024. But at this stage, the hope of finding him alive is almost zero. Indeed, as reported by France Bleu Occitanie, the Toulouse public prosecutor’s office indicates that the death of the 21-year-old young man “seems more and more likely” at this stage of the investigations. A week after Luca’s disappearance, Friday January 26, 2024, three suspects were also referred for “organized gang murder and destruction of property by fire”. Aged 19 and 21, these young men are about to be placed in pre-trial detention. But while the victim’s body has still not been discovered, how did investigators come to suspect them of having committed the irreparable? We explain to you the elements that led to these three indictments.
Luca’s car found burnt, search continues to find his body
Luca’s last sign of life therefore dates back to the evening of January 19, 2024, when he left his parents’ house in Cugnaux (Haute-Garonne) to join two “friends” in an apartment in Portet-sur-Garonne, ten minutes away. But he never comes back, and doesn’t answer his cell phone. His mother, worried, contacted the gendarmerie. From January 21, the search brigade of the Toulouse-Mirail company deployed significant resources to find the young man. But it was the Comminges firefighters who made a significant discovery a few hours later, more than 80 kilometers away. They were called to “extinguish a fire in the Domaniale forest of Cardeilhac, near Saint-Gaudens”, as indicated then La Dépêche du Midi. A car, a Volkswagen Golf, is completely burned. It is empty, but the expertise confirms that it is Luca’s.
Could drug trafficking be the motive for Luca’s murder?
Monday January 22, 2024, an investigation for “kidnapping and sequestration” is opened and entrusted to the Toulouse research section. The police quickly focused on two young men, who spent the famous Friday evening with Luca, in Portet’s apartment where he went. In addition, neighbors reported to investigators that they heard screams around 10 p.m. Finally, a third suspect appears in the viewfinder: he has been seen driving Luca’s car, the evening of the events. They were arrested on Monday January 22 and Tuesday January 23, 2024, then placed in police custody.
They were finally referred on Friday January 26, 2024, and are being indicted for “organized gang murder and destruction of property by fire”. The Toulouse public prosecutor’s office requested their placement in pre-trial detention. Concerning the motive for the crime, investigators are leaning towards a settling of scores linked to a debt in the context of a drug trafficking. In fact, the three defendants are all known to the police for this reason. One of them also wears an electronic bracelet following a previous conviction. At the same time, following an investigation into the suspects’ movements, searches are currently being carried out in a water point to find Luca’s body.