A 12-year-old girl was found dead in a crate

Residents gathered in front of the building where the victim's body was found the day before in a box in the 19th arrondissement, Paris yesterday.

PARIS: France is opening a murder investigation after a 12-year-old girl was found dead in a plastic box in Paris, prosecutors said yesterday.

France opens murder probe after the body of a 12-year-old girl found in a trunk

The plastic box was found on Friday evening under the building occupied by the victim in the capital's 19th district, according to prosecutors.

Six people have been detained to help with the investigation, according to sources close to the case.

Another source close to the investigation said the victim's father became concerned after he did not return home from school on Friday afternoon.

He told his wife who then went to the police station to inform them about the girl's disappearance.