French Schoolgirl Found Murdered; Suspect Had Prior Allegations Dismissed by Prosecutors

Thousands of mourners joined a silent march Sunday in the southwestern French village of Fleurance for an 11-year-old schoolgirl whose murder has drawn widespread outrage over police handling of earlier allegations against the suspect. ” Most participants, including children, wore white shirts or T-shirts bearing her portrait.

Background on the Case Lyhanna was last seen on 29 May entering a grey car later identified as belonging to the suspect. Her body was found seven days later in a disused grain silo about 15 km away. The suspect has denied involvement and told police he dropped her off at a local swimming pool.

Police records show the suspect had been flagged since 2017. Additional past accusations include a 2017 relationship report that was dropped, a 2021 dismissal from a school cleaning job over alleged online contact with a student, and a 2022 rape allegation dismissed in 2024 for lack of evidence. A new rape accusation was lodged last week and has been added to the investigation.

Macron called the episode an “unacceptable” failure and said responsibilities would be examined through an official inquiry. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said France currently has a backlog of three million police complaints, including 70,000 involving rape or sexual assault. He described the breakdown in follow-up as “terrifying” and accepted responsibility.

“We failed to follow up on the complaints. I will take full responsibility for this. I am furious about this situation." — Gérald Darmanin, TF1 interview The public prosecutor in Auch said medical and psychological inquiries had not verified one earlier allegation, while confirming the newest complaint is now part of the active case.”