The body of a young French woman with multiple stab wounds was found a few days ago in a dilapidated church in the northwestern tip of Italy, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, citing judicial sources.

A search is underway in Italy and France for her partner, who faced allegations of domestic violence and was summoned to appear before a Grenoble court on May 3.

The victim of the brutal murder, a 22-year-old woman from Saint-Priest, near Lyon, was found on Friday in an abandoned and dilapidated church in the northwestern Italian village of La Salle, near the French border. He had been stabbed in the neck and abdomen, according to judicial sources who confirmed information from the Italian news agency ANSA. The victim was identified on Monday and according to the medical examiner, he is believed to have been murdered sometime between the last days of March and the first days of April.

The couple left France by car and crossed the Italian border on March 26. At the border control it came to the attention of the Italian police that the 21-year-old – who has Italian citizenship – had pending complaints of domestic violence. For this reason, they had duly informed the French authorities.