The man had been seen with the woman days before the probable date of the crime. Her body was found earlier this week in a ruined church above LaSalle, in the Aosta Valley.
An autopsy on Tuesday showed she had led to death from deepstab wounds to the neck and abdomen. The man was said to have been born to an Egyptian immigrant family in Italy but lives near Grenoble. The victim was from the town of Saint-Priest, on the outskirts of Lyon, French media said. The suspect is already on trial in Grenoblle on suspicion of physically abusing the victim, media said Wednesday. The case is being investigated by the prosecutor's office in Aosta and the local prosecutors' office in the city of Lyon. The woman was identified by family members but her name has not been released. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have yet been made, police said. The man is being questioned by police in the case of the femicide of a French woman near Aosta.