French police on Friday confirmed the death of an 11-year-old girl who went missing for a week in a case that made headlines nationwide in France.
A child’s body discovered on Thursday in a grain silo in Fleurance, a village near Toulouse, is that of the missing girl Lyhanna, public prosecutor Olivier Naboulet said in a statement following a post-mortem examination, according to French media reports.
Further investigations are required to determine the cause of death.
A 41-year-old man, the father of a school friend, has been in custody for several days. He gave the 11-year-old a lift in his car last Friday, allegedly to drop her off at the swimming pool at her request.
The police suspect him of having something to do with the girl’s fate.
It has emerged that there were several complaints and investigations against the man for the rape of minors, some of which the judicial authorities dropped or allowed to lapse.
Since the last complaint in August 2025, the man had not even been questioned by the police, the daily Le Figaro reported.
“It is clear that there has been a failure here, and we cannot overlook the fact that weaknesses have come to light; these must be addressed (...) as must the responsibilities at play here,” President Emmanuel Macron asserted.
On Thursday, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said that the justice system’s handling of the information regarding the suspect was “completely unacceptable” and constituted a “failure.”
In France, the girl’s fate has now become the number one news story, and many people and politicians have expressed their shock that the justice system apparently cannot guarantee the protection of children.
