Rage prevails in France over the brutal murder of a 19-year-old student, Philippine Le Noir de Carlan, whose body was found on Saturday, less than 24 hours after her disappearance, half-buried in the forest of Boulogne.

The judicial and administrative handling of the 22-year-old, who was arrested as a suspect, has provoked strong political reactions from across the political spectrum.

The 19-year-old, who was studying at Paris-Dauphine University, was found dead Saturday in a forest in western Paris during a search organized to locate her after her sister reported her missing at 11 p.m. Friday night.

Philippine, who was in her third year of study in the Economics and Financial department, was last seen on Friday, September 20, after lunch at Crous’ restaurant near Bois de Boulogne at around 2pm. She was planning to visit her parents’ home in Montigny-le-Bretonneux.

Police conducted an autopsy on her body, but the final results will require further tests and expertise.

The suspect, a 22-year-old man born in Morocco, was arrested Tuesday in Geneva, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced. French authorities are proceeding with an extradition request to Swiss authorities for him to return to France and stand trial.

The suspect was in “irregular status” in France, according to authorities, and was convicted in 2021 for a rape he committed in 2019 when he was still a minor. He was released from prison in June 2024 after serving a five-year sentence, and had been under mandatory deportation from France since then.

According to sources close to the case reported by Liberation, the suspect, after his release, had been transferred to an administrative detention center in Metz, as he did not have an identity card confirming his nationality. Despite French efforts to have him deported, Morocco did not respond to France’s requests for travel documents. The suspect was placed under house arrest and was required to report regularly to the police station, which he did not do, resulting in him being placed on the wanted list on the eve of Philippine’s death.

The case sparked a backlash from political leaders who blamed the criminal and administrative system for delaying the suspect’s deportation.

The new interior minister, Bruno Retaigot, expressed his desire to change the legal framework to protect French citizens, stressing that “if the rules have to change, let’s change them.”