Gy (France) (AFP) – He filmed the scene and sent the images to his partner, with whom he was in the process of separating, according to his relatives: a man killed his two children and his mother-in-law before turning the gun against himself in a village in Haute-Saône.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 1:27 p.m. Modified on: 09/03/2026 - 4:14 p.m.

The drama took place Wednesday evening on land surrounded by a dry stone wall, located between vineyards and woods on the heights of Gy, a town of 1,000 inhabitants 30 km north of Besançon.

The family lived in a bungalow parked on the plot, next to their house under construction. An above-ground swimming pool and a swing are located on the grounds, an AFP journalist noted Thursday morning.

The bodies of the adults were found in the bungalow and those of the children in a utility vehicle parked outside.

“The two children and the 42-year-old man were allegedly killed with a hunting rifle,” said the magistrate, who opened an investigation into intentional homicide.

Pending the autopsy of the four bodies, "the preferred hypothesis at this stage of the investigation is that the father, in the process of separating, would have killed the three other people before turning the weapon against himself", continues the prosecutor.

“This is what you deserve”

“This tragedy, which cost the lives of four people, including two children, plunges our town into deep sadness and naturally arouses a lot of emotion among us all,” said the mayor, Alexandre Lacroix, in a press release.

Around thirty firefighters and around fifty police officers intervened, he said.

According to a man met by AFP near the scene of the tragedy and who introduced himself as his cousin, the father of the family committed the crime while his mother-in-law came to pick up the children.

“He filmed the scene and sent it to his wife saying: this is what you deserve,” before forwarding the images to his brothers, said this man, named Charles Martino-Herter.

The sending of a video to his relatives was confirmed to AFP by a source close to the matter.

His partner wanted to leave him since he had been unfaithful to her several months ago, said the cousin. They seemed to have reconciled, going on vacation together to Greece this summer, but on Wednesday, she asked her mother to pick up the children, telling her "I don't want to go back there anymore", according to the cousin's account.

“Sparkling life”

“What hurt us the most were these two young children”, “bubbly with life”, who “played football”, “were in the swimming pool”, “on a scooter on the road”, a neighbor of the family, Hervé Seigneuret, told AFP.

“Nothing will explain this violence but it is very surprising because Jean-Paul (the father) was a good person, who worked, who loved people, who adored his children, who adored his dog,” he said.

His eldest son “was nice, I have him in my head, the kid, I still see him with his scooter,” says a resident named Liliane. "It's horrible. The kids who knew him can't believe he's dead, they're traumatized," she said.

The family belonged to the community of travelers, who reacted on Facebook: “It’s horrible, we have no words,” said Rémy Vienot, president of the Espoir et Fraternité Tsigane de Franche-Comté association.

The boys' mother was very involved in school life, a mother, Louise, whose 7-year-old daughter goes to school in Gy, told AFP. "We saw her almost everywhere. Every time there was a fair or something, she was there."

A psychological unit was opened at the school center. “We will stay in the school as long as necessary,” said academic director Catherine Ridard on site.

Out of "respect for the victims and their loved ones", the Municipal Council of Gy, meeting urgently on Wednesday evening, decided "to cancel the festive events planned for this weekend", including a fireworks display on Saturday evening.

© 2026 AFP

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