Overview
- A farm worker discovered a partially burned female body in a vineyard near Saint-Gilles on August 12, and police opened a homicide inquiry after first-response investigators found burned vines and ashes at the scene.
- Family members say Bellina was last seen on August 10 before she left to meet someone, and she was reported missing when she did not return.
- The Nîmes prosecutor confirmed on August 19 that DNA tests identified the victim as 29-year-old Sonia Bellina and that two men have been placed in police custody on suspicion of direct or indirect involvement.
- Authorities say the body was covered with a flammable substance, a detail that delayed identification and complicates forensic work; investigators are also examining a vehicle seen in the area and one suspect's prior record for violence and weapons.
- Bellina's large social-media profile intensified coverage and exposed her family to online harassment, and advocacy groups have linked the case to rising public concern over femicides in France.