Who Was Sonia Bellina? TikTok Influencer Found Dead

Sonia Bellina was a 29-year-old French TikTok creator with more than 250,000 followers. Bellina disappeared in the Gard region of southern France before her partially burned body was discovered in a vineyard in Saint-Gilles on August 12, 2026. French prosecutors opened an investigation into her killing, and a 32-year-old man was subsequently charged with premeditated murder and placed in pretrial detention.

Sonia Bellina Death

Bellina’s Body Found Partially Burned In Vineyard. A farm worker discovered the body of a woman among rows of grapevines in Saint-Gilles, roughly 20 kilometers from Nîmes, on the morning of August 12. Authorities said the body was partially burned, and investigators quickly opened a criminal investigation into the death. [TF1 Info]

Body Was Reportedly Found Undressed And Partially Burned. French reporting described the victim as having been found without clothing and partially burned in the vineyard. The circumstances prompted the Nîmes prosecutor’s office to open an investigation for assassinat, the French criminal classification involving premeditated murder. [Le Progrès]

DNA Testing Formally Identified The Victim As Sonia Bellina. Bellina’s family had feared that the unidentified woman was her, but authorities did not formally confirm the identification until August 19, when DNA analysis established that the remains belonged to the 29-year-old influencer. [Euronews]

Bellina Had Disappeared Shortly Before Her Body Was Found. Bellina’s relatives reported her missing after losing contact with her during the night immediately preceding the discovery of the body. Her disappearance and the unidentified body found near Nîmes quickly became linked in French media before DNA testing provided official confirmation. [TF1 Info]

Autopsy Findings Have Not Been Publicly Released. An autopsy was conducted as investigators sought to determine the precise circumstances of Bellina’s death, but the results, including a detailed medical cause of death, had not been made public in the initial reporting. [People]

Sonia Bellina Murder Investigation

Two Men Initially Detained In Connection With Bellina’s Death. The Nîmes prosecutor announced on August 19 that investigators had detained two men because evidence suggested they may have participated directly or indirectly in the events surrounding Bellina’s death. [InfOccitanie]

One Of The Two Detained Men Was Released Without Charges. Prosecutors released one of the men on August 20, saying evidence gathered during the investigation did not establish his participation in the killing. The second suspect remained in custody. [Europe 1]

32-Year-Old Suspect Charged With Premeditated Murder. After the remaining suspect’s police custody ended on August 21, prosecutors charged the 32-year-old man in connection with Bellina’s killing. A judge ordered him held in pretrial detention. His identity had not been publicly released in the reporting reviewed. [Le Monde]

Suspect Admitted Being With Bellina But Did Not Admit Killing Her. The Nîmes prosecutor said the man acknowledged having contact with Bellina during the night of the killing and the preceding night but did not confess to killing her. Prosecutors said he declined to provide further explanations and exercised his right to remain silent. [AFP]

Investigators Believe Suspect May Have Been Bellina’s Last Contact. Prosecutors said evidence indicated the 32-year-old may have been Bellina’s final known contact. Authorities said the encounter was arranged in the context of paid sex work and that investigators had not established a romantic relationship between Bellina and the suspect. [AFP]

Sonia Bellina Murder Suspect

Suspect Had Previous Domestic Violence Conviction. Nîmes prosecutor Cécile Gensac said the man had a significant criminal history that included a December 2023 conviction in Lille for domestic violence as well as previous drug-trafficking offenses. [AFP]

Suspect Was Wearing Domestic-Violence Monitoring Bracelet. At the time of the investigation, the man was subject to a court-ordered anti-proximity electronic bracelet intended to protect a former partner who lived approximately 800 kilometers away. He was also under supervision by the French probation service. [AFP]

Sonia Bellina Family Response

Bellina’s Family Condemned Online Harassment After Her Death. Bellina’s relatives and their attorney, Mourad Battikh, denounced a wave of insulting and misogynistic commentary that appeared online as news of the killing spread. Battikh said the family intended to pursue people whose online conduct constituted criminal offenses. [TF1 Info]

Family Says It Wants Answers About Bellina’s Final Hours. Bellina’s relatives said their primary concern was determining exactly what happened during the night before her body was discovered. Their attorney described the killing as extraordinarily brutal and urged the public not to compound the family’s grief with speculation and attacks on Bellina. [TF1 Info]