**The parents of a French eight-year-old girl whose body was found encased in concrete have been held on suspicion of manslaughter, official sources say.**The girl, known only as Marina, was discovered at her father’s workplace in Le Mans, south-west of Paris.
On Wednesday the parents told police the girl had been kidnapped.
Prosecutors say they believe Marina died after being beaten last month, and that the body was kept in a freezer before being covered in concrete.
Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against the parents on suspicion of manslaughter, violence against a minor, and wasting police time.
They say the parents had told officers that Marina had been kidnapped from the father’s car, which he had parked to buy food at a McDonalds’ restaurant near Le Mans.
Prosecutors say that after the body was found at the father’s workplace on Friday, he had changed his story and told police that she had died of natural causes in early August.
Investigators said there were reports that Marina, who had mild Down’s syndrome, had been the victim of domestic violence.