The man found with a missing girl in Charleroi will appear before a judge for suspected sexual assault and kidnapping of a minor under 12, the Charleroi Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Tuesday.
On Monday morning, a missing person's alert was issued for Maya Charles, a nine-year-old girl with hearing and visual disabilities. She had been missing since Sunday evening, and was last seen in the vicinity of her home in Charleroi.
Maya was found that same morning in good health at an abandoned house in Charleroi, in the presence of a 41-year-old man who was taken in for questioning by the authorities.
The case was referred to an examining magistrate (a type of investigative judge who determines whether there is a case to be taken to court). The 41-year-old will appear before the magistrate later today (Tuesday) for a possible indictment and placement under arrest warrant.
"At this stage, all the information needed to establish the facts accurately is not yet available. The investigation must continue to clarify the exact circumstances of the events of the night of 12 to 13 January," the judicial authority stated on Tuesday.
The Public Prosecutor's Office points out that no definitive conclusion can be drawn at this stage regarding the exact course of events or the possible guilt of the suspect in relation to the charges.
