The French Government will investigate what President Emmanuel Macron described this Friday, June 5, as a "malfunction" of the judicial system after the murder of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl, which occurred in the southwest of the nation. The main suspect had been formally accused of raping a minor on two occasions, but the investigations were shelved or stalled.
First modification: 06/05/2026 - 19:17
France is facing outrage over the murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna after it was revealed that the main suspect had previously been accused of child sexual abuse.
"It is clear that there has been a malfunction," President Emmanuel Macron declared in Montenegro, where he was attending a European summit. "It's unacceptable."
The president added that he had urged the Administration of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to investigate what happened during a cabinet meeting this Friday, June 5.
The minor, identified in the press only as Lyhanna, disappeared on May 29 near the town of Fleurance, in the southwest of the country, after being last seen getting into a man's car.
After several days of searching the area, investigators found the body of a girl wearing the same clothes as her on Thursday in an abandoned silo.
After the autopsy, the Prosecutor's Office confirmed the next day that it was the body of the missing minor.
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A 41-year-old father of two, whose daughter was Lyhanna's schoolmate, has been arrested as the main suspect.
Incomprehension has grown throughout the country after it became known that the suspect had been formally accused on two previous occasions of raping a minor, but the investigations had been archived or paralyzed.
According to his team, the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, planned to summon all prosecutors in Paris next Monday, June 8.
A bigger problem
Prosecutor Clemence Meyer on Wednesday listed previous complaints against the suspect.
In December 2017, a mother reported that her 17-year-old daughter was in a relationship with the man. The case was filed in 2018 after the young woman declared consent.
In January 2022, a complaint accused him of raping a minor under 15 years of age in 2020 at his home in southwestern France. The case was dismissed in 2024 due to lack of evidence.
"Should we always wait for irrefutable evidence before taking action to protect our children?"
In a third case, on August 22, 2025, the mother of a girl born in 2014 accused him of raping her daughter between September 2024 and May 2025 at her home, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
However, police had not yet questioned him when 11-year-old Lyhanna disappeared nine months later.
The former prime minister and candidate for the Presidency of France, Gabrielle Attal, joined the questions by pointing out that what happened "calls into question" the entire French judicial system.
"Lyhanna's tragic death is unbearable. It calls into question the entire system, all the protections for children and the importance given to the voice of children. My thoughts are with Lyhanna's family and with all the outraged parents in France, consumed by anguish and devastated by this death that could have been avoided. The administrative investigation must completely clarify the deficiencies that led to this tragedy. And changes must be implemented, necessarily radical," Attal declared through his social networks.
Fleurance Mayor Gregory Bobbato stated on Thursday that there were serious irregularities in the way the investigations were being carried out. "Should we always wait for irrefutable evidence before taking action to protect our children?"
Denis Roth-Fichet, of the independent commission CIVIISE, which investigates child sexual abuse, said the case illustrated a much wider problem.
He indicated that investigations were filed in almost three out of every four complaints for alleged sexual abuse of minors.
According to CIVIISE, only 7% of complaints of sexual assault of minors and 3% of child rape result in a conviction.
“Inspect this man's computer.”
The candidates for next year's presidential elections have also spoken out on the matter.
Centrist candidate Edouard Philippe called Thursday for investigations to be accelerated to better protect children.
“When the testimony of a minor is collected or reported, why isn't the entire state apparatus immediately put on alert?” he asked.
"The system does not work"
Far-right candidate Jordan Bardella, who is leading in the polls and will run if Marine Le Pen is disqualified, said the crime “could—and should—have been prevented.”
Anne-Cecile Mailfert of the Women's Foundation advocacy group stated earlier this week that the justice system is failing to protect minors, even when a young child has the courage to come forward and file a complaint with his or her parents.
"The system doesn't work," he said.
Michele Creoff, from the Union for Children association, was also outraged.
"Did anyone check this man's computer? The websites he visits?" he asked.
This article was adapted from its original English version
With AFP
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