This Missing 11-Year-Old Girl In France Was Found Murdered And People Are Demanding Justice
The revelations have led to protests across France, with demonstrators accusing authorities of failing to protect children and properly investigate sexual violence.
This missing 11-year-old girl in France was found murdered and people are demanding justice.
The entrance of the Huber Reeves school, 11-year-old schoolgirl Lyhanna attended. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)
Lyhanna Rameau Bernard disappeared on May 29 in Fleurance, a small town near Toulouse in southwestern France, after she left school at around 3 pm.
French gendarmes take part in the search for Lyhanna. (Photo by Matthieu RONDEL / AFP via Getty Images)
Her body was found on June 4, in a grain silo in a town about two hours from her home.
The image documents police and press activity at the rural site where a body was found. (Photo by Isabelle Souriment / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
A 41-year-old man named Jérôme Barella, who is reportedly the father of one of Lyhanna’s classmates, has been arrested after a witness reportedly saw Lyhanna in his car.
Front view of the house of Jerome B with a purple gate. (Photo by Isabelle Souriment / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
The case has sparked nationwide anger after authorities revealed Barella had previously been reported to police over several alleged incidents involving children but was not questioned.
The mailbox on the purple gate of the house of Jerome B with a visible gendarmerie seal. (Photo by Isabelle Souriment / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
In 2017, a mother had contacted police about her 17-year-old daughter’s relationship with Barella, but the case was closed after the girl said it was consensual.
People gather for a demonstration to demand a law against violence on minors. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP via Getty Images)
In 2020, Barella was fired from a school maintenance job over an “inappropriate relationship with a high school student.”
Participants march during a rally in memory of late 11-year-old Lyhanna. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
In 2022, a girl born in 2013 said Barella had raped her at his home two years earlier, when she would have been seven, but the case was dismissed for insufficient evidence.
A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Lyhanna. The justice system and the gendarmerie hierarchy are responsible!" (Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Then, in August 2025, a woman accused Barella of repeatedly raping her daughter, who was born in 2014.
A young girl holds a placard reading I AM ANGRY PROTECT US at a rally. (Photo by Benoit Pavan / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
Authorities were still investigating that case when Lyhanna disappeared nine months later, and Barella had not been questioned or detained.
Feminist activist group FEMEN take part in an unauthorised demonstration. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP via Getty Images)
Barella’s lawyers declined to comment when asked by The New York Times about the earlier accusations.
Protesters hold signs with an image of Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin and the text ''Justice responsible for Lyhanna's death''. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The revelations have led to protests across France, with demonstrators accusing authorities of failing to protect children and properly investigate sexual violence.
Demonstration for Lyhanna and other victims of sexual violence. (Photo by Pierre Larrieu / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
The case also comes after a French surgeon named Joël Le Scouarnec was convicted for sexually abusing hundreds of children, as well as recent allegations of more than 70 school workers in Paris sexually abusing children.
Sign warning for children safety during demonstration for Lyhanna and other victims. (Photo by Pierre Larrieu / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
The government has launched an investigation into how the authorities handled the earlier complaints against Barella.
Front view of flowers, signs, candles and portraits attached to a barred window. (Photo by Isabelle Souriment / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
France’s justice minister has also ordered prosecutors to review all 70,000 criminal complaints involving alleged rape or sexual abuse of minors by July 14.
A young girl accompanied by her mother stands in front of flowers teddy bears and signs. (Photo by Grichka BEYSSON-LEANDRI / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
Sofia Hou
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