Body found in Mittersheim pond: two Ukrainians in custody for murder
A 44-year-old man was found dead in the Mittersheim pond in Moselle. Two Ukrainian nationals are in custody for murder.
Murder at Mittersheim pond: two Ukrainians implicated following fishermen's brawl
A lifeless body was discovered on Sunday 23 August 2026 in the Mittersheim pond in Moselle. According to Google News FR — Crime (fr), the Metz public prosecutor's office confirmed the following day the opening of an investigation for murder against two Ukrainian nationals, placed in custody.
A nocturnal altercation with fatal consequences
The events date back to the night of 21 to 22 August 2026. At 00:30, the surveillance and intervention platoon of the gendarmerie (PSIG) of Sarrebourg was called out by the emergency medical services to the vicinity of a lock at Mittersheim. The emergency responders discovered a 43-year-old man of Ukrainian nationality, seriously injured by a bladed weapon: three wounds to the abdomen and several bruises. His life was in danger at that point.
Present at the scene, his stepson, aged 24 and also Ukrainian, indicated to the gendarmes that the group — consisting of himself, his two younger brothers and the victim — had been fishing on the pond since Friday evening. Late into the night, an altercation had set them against another fisherman, whom he described as a "Russian" aged 44 residing in Germany. This man allegedly dealt several knife blows to his father-in-law before fleeing on foot.
The suspect untraceable, investigations intensify
The Metz public prosecutor's office opened an investigation in flagrante delicto for attempted murder, entrusted to the investigative unit of Sarrebourg with the support of the Metz Investigation Section. The suspect's wallet, telephone and vehicle were found at the scene. Through channels of international police cooperation, German authorities conducted searches around the man's home in Weiskirchen, without locating him.
During the course of 22 August, the victim's condition improved and was no longer a cause for concern.
Body discovered and judicial development
Sunday 23 August marked a turning point. The gendarmerie grouping of Moselle deployed significant resources — drones and dog-handling teams — to find the fugitive. Divers from the river brigade were simultaneously engaged to search the pond. Shortly after 15:00, they recovered the lifeless body of the 44-year-old man, identified as the presumed perpetrator of the knife blows.
This discovery led to a recharacterisation of the facts. The two Ukrainian nationals — the injured father-in-law and his stepson — were placed in custody as part of an investigation now extended to murder, committed under the influence of alcohol according to initial findings. The custody was extended by a further 24-hour period on Monday 25 August for the purposes of investigations.
Autopsy ordered in Nancy
David Touvet, public prosecutor of the Republic of Metz, indicated that an autopsy of the body would be carried out the following day at the forensic medical institute of the Nancy University Hospital. The exact circumstances of the man's death — drowning, injuries or other cause — remain to be established by experts.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)