Nihal’s Disappearance: “DNA Identification Of A Skull Found In Ouacifs Region Underway”

The DNA identification of the skull found yesterday near the village of AIt Abdelouahab, in the region of Ouacifs in eastern Tizi-Ouzou province, continued today, Tuesday, August 1, by the services of the national gendarmerie at the National Institute of forensic evidence and criminology located in Bouchaoui municipality, west of Algiers reliable sources told “Echorouk”.

Meanwhile, the security forces, aided by the villagers where the small Nihal has been missing since July 21, are continuing to comb the area.

For now, the services of the gendarmerie can’t affirm that the skull found is that of Nihal.

The skull was found by security services Sunday, July 31 near the village Ait Abdelouahab in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou where Nihal, 4 years’ old, disappeared on July 21. This skull was discovered by the Gendarmes who came to the scene after the dog of a shepherd found in the same area a dress stained with blood. 

The skull was first transported to the morgue of the University Hospital of Tizi Ouzou before being taken to Algiers for the purposes of analysis to determine whether it is the head of the small Nihal. The discovery was made in the presence of the security services and the public Prosecutor.

An extensive search operation was launched early in the morning of Monday by the services of the National Gendarmerie (GN) of Tizi-Ouzou, to try to find the little Nihal who disappeared about two weeks ago under mysterious circumstances.

According to a source from the National Gendarmerie, the territorial grouping of the Gendarmerie of the Wilaya or Province of Tizi Ouzou mobilized around 5 a.m, nearly 180 gendarmes from different units accompanied by sniffer dogs.

This major operation comes after the discovery of a fragment of a girl’s dress by a shepherd just a few kilometers from the place of her disappearance in the village of Ait Toudert. 

Immediately alerted, Police and Gendarmerie officers rushed to the scene, and sealed off the place. The search led to the discovery of a child’s head, near the place of disappearance.

Are the security forces on a new track? No information was available this morning on the investigations conducted in the utmost discretion.

The father of the missing child, absent in the spot denied that the dress found is that of his daughter. However, the maternal uncle of Nihal argued otherwise.

The vagueness continues to surround the circumstances of the disappearance of the little girl. After the gruesome discovery, panic has gripped the missing child’s family as the wildest rumors are the order of the day.

“Only the DNA analysis will confirm or deny the speculation,” said a source close to the investigation.

Faced with this heart-rending situation, the notables and elders of the village of Ait Toudert appealed to the large public and the media outlets to avoid spreading rumors in order not to hinder the smooth running of the ongoing investigation.