20.08.2026 17:01
The lifeless body of 29-year-old social media influencer Sonia Bellina, who was visiting her family weeks before her 30th birthday in France, was found burned in a vineyard in the south of the country. The farmer who found her body said smoke was still rising from it. The young woman's identity in the horrific incident was revealed through DNA analysis. Two people have been taken into custody in the investigation.
A horrific murder took place in a vineyard in the south of France. The body, found burned and believed to belong to a woman, shook the country. DNA analysis confirmed that the burned body was that of 29-year-old social media influencer Sonia Bellina. Two men have been taken into custody in connection with the young woman's death.
SHE HAD GONE TO VISIT HER FAMILY
According to a report by Le Parisien, Bellina, who had over 260,000 followers on social media, went to her hometown in the Gard region to see her family just one month before her 30th birthday. It was noted that the young woman, who lived in Paris, regularly visited her family. Bellina, who shared videos on social media about dance, karaoke, lip-syncing, fashion, and relationships, also interacted with her followers through live broadcasts.
SHE LEFT HER HOME AT NIGHT AND NEVER RETURNED
It was learned that on the night she disappeared, Bellina told her family she would briefly go to meet someone. According to her sister, the young woman said around 1:00 AM, "I'm going to see someone, I'll be right back." However, Bellina left the house without taking her bag or any other belongings.
It was reported that the young woman's phone turned off around 2:00 AM and her family could not reach her. Following concerns that the young woman was missing, search efforts were initiated. Two days after losing contact with Bellina, the horrifying truth emerged.
IT WAS STILL SMOKING WHEN FOUND
On August 12, a farm worker in Saint-Gilles near Nîmes noticed a woman's body lying on the ground between the rows of a vineyard. The body was reported to be partially burned and naked.
The area where the body was found was cordoned off, and a murder investigation was launched as it was deemed not an accident or natural death. Initial examinations could not identify the body. Due to the severe damage to the body, forensic examination and DNA analysis were conducted for definitive identification.
THE HORRIFYING TRUTH WAS LEARNED FROM DNA RESULTS
In fact, one of the farm worker's colleagues who found the body said that smoke was still rising from the body when they arrived at the scene. This detail revealed the extent of the brutality.
After a week of examinations, DNA results definitively showed that the body belonged to 29-year-old Sonia Bellina.
"A RARELY SEEN BRUTALITY"
Mourad Battikh, the lawyer for Bellina's family, said in a statement to French broadcaster RTL that the incident was "a rarely seen brutality." Battikh, who harshly criticized the young woman's body being left in the vineyard, stated that Bellina was "thrown away like garbage."
The lawyer stated that Bellina's family was devastated by what happened and expects all the details of the murder to be revealed.
TWO PEOPLE IN CUSTODY
Nîmes Prosecutor Cécile Gensac announced that the investigation had reached a critical stage. Two men were taken into custody on Wednesday due to "evidence indicating their direct or indirect connection to the incident." It was reported that the suspects were being held in custody as part of the investigation and their connections to the incident were being investigated. French authorities did not share further details about the suspects or the evidence they hold because the investigation is ongoing.
According to information in the French press, it was suggested that one of the suspects had previously been monitored by security forces for violent crimes and may have been the last person to have contact with the young woman on the night she disappeared. However, this detail is expected to be fully confirmed by the investigating authorities.
DISGUSTING COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The spread of various rumors and speculations about Bellina on social media after the murder further increased the pain of her family.
Battikh, the family's lawyer, harshly reacted to the spread of rumors and images about the young woman's private life on social media. It was reported that some users used heavy language targeting Bellina even after her death, writing that "she deserved it."
Bellina's sister Mia also reacted to some internet users going this far in a statement to local media, describing what happened as "harassment."
LEGAL ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA BULLYING
The family lawyer also stated that the rumors, speculation, insults, and content concerning private life spreading on social media both cause unnecessary pain to the family and could harm the healthy conduct of the investigation, announcing that legal action would be initiated against posts that constitute a crime.
While the investigation into Sonia Bellina's death continues, French authorities are trying to clarify all aspects of what happened from the night the young woman disappeared until her body was found in the vineyard in Saint-Gilles, and the connection of the two suspects to the incident.