Disturbing details of TikTok star’s final hours before murder revealed – as cops arrest domestic abuser ‘who lured her’

A TIKTOK star told family she was going to “end a toxic relationship” hours before she was found dead in a vineyard. It comes as a convicted domestic abuser with links to the “dark world” of prostitution has been revealed as the prime suspect after Sonia Bellina was murdered in France. TikTok star Sonia Bellina, 29, was found dead in a French vineyard on August 12 Credit: soniiabelliina/ Instagram Sonia told friends she was on her way to meet a ‘mystery boyfriend’ Credit: soniiabelliina/ Instagram The suspect, who is in his early 30s but who cannot be named for legal reasons, is being held in a secure police station in the south of France following 29-year-old Sonia’s death on or around August 10. Her battered and naked corpse was found partially burnt in an isolated vineyard in the town of Saint-Gilles, south of Nimes, in the Gard department. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Now, investigators have revealed disturbing new details about Sonia’s last hours – and the man who may have lured her to a horrendously violent attack days before her 30th birthday. One told The Sun: “The prime suspect is one of two men who were arrested on Wednesday after both were linked to the crime through their mobile phone records, and tracks on their car movements. “They were in the area where the victim died, and had previous contact with her. “The main suspect is thought to have carried out the killing, while the second man had a more minor role. “The prime suspect has convictions for domestic abuse, and other violent crimes.” Both men are from Nimes, the southern city where Sonia was born and brought up, and where she trained to be a beauty therapist, specialising in eyelash extensions. Most read in The Sun Beyond her professional work, Sonia was a hugely popular online influencer, with more than a quarter-of-a-million followers on TikTok, as well as on other mass audience platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat. Her regular performances included lip-syncing to old romantic movies, and also pretending to seduce her fans. An investigating source said: “This may have attracted some very unpleasant people, and the man in custody certainly has a criminal record for abusing women. “He also allegedly has links to the dark world of prostitution and escort agencies, and may have lured women into this world.” She was reported missing on August 10 and found by a farmer two days later Credit: soniiabelliina/ Instagram Her sister said she may have ‘run into the wrong guy’ Credit: Jam Press/@soniiabelliina Prostitution is legal in France but pimping – enticing clients or potential sex workers to pay for sex or accept money for it – is not. Women involved in the sex industry – whether by choice or coercion – often become the victims of a range of crimes, ranging from murder and rape, to other forms of abuse. The enquiry into Sonia’s death is currently focused on the theory that a man she knew arranged to meet her, before driving her to the place where she was killed. There was a five-hour window from the moment Sonia left her family apartment in Nimes and the presumed time of death. “This has been calculated at shortly after her phone being switched off,” the investigating source added. “Her phone was later found thrown away by the side of the road.” One family member has told detectives that Sonia set off in the early hours of the morning “to end a toxic relationship” with an unidentified man. “She left without a bag, saying she would be back within a few hours,” the source said. “Sonia has only recently met the man, and nobody else in her circle knew him. He was certainly a mystery man.” Saint-Gilles is a town with a population of 14,000 people, and not a place Sonia is thought to have visited before. She was taken to a vineyard close to an airfield and a military base before being killed, police believe. Despite it being so early in the morning, workers were still milling around, but direct witnesses have proved hard to find. “Nobody heard or saw anything around the presumed time of death,” the insider said. “There are CCTV cameras in nearby properties, but none were covering the bit of land where Sonia’s body was found. “It was in the middle of two rows of vines which were around 1.5 meters [just under 5ft] tall, so it was superficially hidden. “This did not stop another vineyard worker spotting it immediately when he came into work first thing in the morning, when there was daylight.” Other enquiry sources said Sonia had been spending a lot of time in Paris, which is some 550miles from her home city of Nice. Pictures posted on her social media sites show her in cafés, restaurants and shops identified as being in the French capital. Cécile Gensac, the Nimes public prosecutor who is leading the murder enquiry, has not yet disclosed the likely cause of Sonia’s death, but said her body was so badly brutalised that DNA was needed to identify it. Ms Gensac confirmed “the theory that the murder was committed by a man known to the victim,” is the primary line of enquiry. Nimes gendarmes managed to track down the prime suspect by analysing Sonia’s telephone call logs and then tracking vehicle movements on the night of the murder. All of Sonia’s social media accounts have since been deleted, as police technology specialists search for online clues. Sonia told friends she was represented by “an agency” in the Mediterranean city of Nice, and detectives are speaking to those who run it. It is thought to be one that specialises in online promotion. A family friend said: “She was very independent – she did not rely on a boyfriend, or anyone else to look after her. “She wasn’t known to have any particular romantic involvements, and she was never seen in late-night bars or clubs. “She was anything but loud-mouthed or vulgar – quite the opposite.” Police sources said Sonia did not have any criminal convictions, but had been a victim of assault and theft in the past. They could not provide any further details. Mourad Battikh, the barrister representing the Bellina family, said he was preparing a legal complaint against people who had aimed “online insults” against Sonia’s memory. “There is a hatred I can’t explain,” he said, adding: “All those who posted such remarks have been reported, and subsequently, complaints will be filed to ensure that these individuals, too, are brought before the courts.” Mourad suggested there “might be a link” between Sonia’s murder and the “hateful comments” she was already facing on social media while she was alive. The two suspects in the case can be held until Friday, when magistrates will have to decide whether to charge them, release them, or request extra time to question them. Comment now