Cleaner accused of covering up disappearance in Nantes released under supervision

A 27-year-old woman, hired as a cleaner, was released under judicial supervision on Wednesday after months of detention in the case of the disappearance of Manon Relandeau, a young mother from the Nantes region. The decision came from the pre-trial chamber of Tribunal of Apelação of Rennes, which considered judicial restrictions in place of preventive detention to be sufficient. Ela had been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and altering the crime scene on April 23, shortly after being hired by the victim’s partner in late March.

The Algerian cleaner responded to an online ad posted by Manon Relandeau’s husband and began work at the couple’s home in Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc on March 27 — the same day the 31-year-old farmer was last seen. Seu’s lawyer, Kamel Derouiche, argues that she had no knowledge of the escape plan and did not have information that would lead her to suspect a crime, especially since she had only started working a few days ago.

Argumento from the defense regarding cleaning the property

O advogado parisiense criticou a acusação de “alteração da cena do crime” alegando que a cliente apenas cumpria suas funções. “Não se pode culpar uma faxineira por limpar”, afirmou Derouiche à imprensa após audiência a portas fechadas. According to the defense, the woman was charged specifically because she allegedly cleaned the apartment where Manon Relandeau disappeared, but this activity is an ordinary part of her job.

A mulher chegou à França em outubro de 2025 com formação acadêmica de mestrado obtida na Argélia. Segundo reports from her lawyer, she became a victim of serious domestic violence shortly after arriving in the country, being welcomed by Samu social services in a precarious situation on March 9. Esse contexto, para a defesa, torna implausível que tivesse participado voluntariamente de um crime apenas dias depois.

Companheiro from Manon stuck on Argélia

O homem de 41 anos, companheiro da vítima, encontra-se atualmente detido na Argélia. Ele viajou para Argel em 2 de abril com a filha do casal, então com apenas 15 meses de idade, dias após o desaparecimento de Manon Relandeau. Registros indicate that he has a history of domestic violence, having received a suspended prison sentence for violence against an ex-partner.

The investigation is progressing on multiple fronts, with charges related to the disappearance and possible homicide still ongoing. French authorities work on the case while the main suspect remains beyond the reach of European justice.

Outros involved released

Diversos individuals linked to the case have already been released in previous weeks. A taxi driver, accused of helping Manon Relandeau’s companion, was also released last week. Como the cleaning lady, he was under suspicion of involvement in the actions following the disappearance.

The charges against those involved include:

• Conspiração to commit a crime
• Alteração and crime scene concealment
• Possível corpse concealment
• Auxílio on the run to foreign jurisdiction
• Envolvimento in forced disappearance

Cronologia of events

Manon Relandeau’s disappearance marks a turning point on March 27, when the young woman was last seen at her residence. Três days later, on April 2, his partner left França to go to Argélia with his youngest daughter. The cleaning lady was formally charged on April 23, almost a month after her disappearance. Court rulings in favor of supervised releases began about a week before that date.

The defense continues to argue that the cleaning lady did not have the opportunity to learn details of the escape plan and that her recent employment at the property makes her premeditated involvement unlikely. A supervisão judicial agora imposta permite que ela permaneça sob restrições mais leves enquanto aguarda desdobramentos da investigação.