French judicial system under fire after ignoring warning that could have prevented Lyhanna’s murder
A formal child protection alert about inappropriate behaviour by Jérôme Barella was sent to prosecutors in March, two months before he allegedly abducted and killed 11-year-old Lyhanna. No action was taken until after her death.
The ignored warning
In February 2026, an 11-year-old girl known as Léa told a youth worker that during a sleepover at the Barella home in summer 2025, Jérôme Barella had stood behind her while she slept and made gestures she described as "inappropriate", though no physical contact was reported. During a water fight, she said, he pressed against her in a very inappropriate manner.
She reports that while sleeping at her friend's house, she became aware of Mr Barella behind her, at the level of her buttocks. According to her statements, Mr Barella made gestures she described as inappropriate, though no physical contact was mentioned.
Léa was a child in the care of the Aide Sociale à l'Enfance (ASE). She disclosed the events only after a school discussion on harassment, stating she had not spoken earlier "for fear of being told off" and did not want her mother to know for fear of judgement.
On 12 March 2026, the ASE formally transmitted its report to the prosecutor's office in Auch and to the Gers child protection unit (CRIP). But according to multiple sources cited by BFMTV, Léa was never subsequently interviewed by police or the judiciary and no investigation appears to have been opened. The CRIP has since stated that when a report is sent directly to prosecutors, "the decision to investigate and the judicial follow-up fall under the sole authority of the judiciary."
The murder of Lyhanna
On 29 May 2026, 11-year-old Lyhanna disappeared from her home in the Gers. Authorities say she was seen getting into a car driven by Jérôme Barella, the father of a friend. Her body was found on 4 June in a grain silo 15 kilometres from her home. Barella was immediately taken into custody and is being held in isolation at Mont-de-Marsan prison. He is expected to face formal charges for Lyhanna's murder.
- Léa experiences inappropriate behaviour by Jérôme Barella during a sleepover and water fight.
- Léa confides in a youth worker at her care home.
- ASE transmits report detailing Léa’s allegations to the Auch prosecutor and the CRIP.
- Lyhanna, 11, disappears; she was last seen entering a car driven by Barella.
- Lyhanna’s body is found in a grain silo 15 km from her home.
- Léa is finally interviewed for two hours by gendarmes.
Previous complaints also ignored
The March report was not the first alert about Barella. It is now known that a separate rape complaint was filed against him the previous summer but, like the Léa report, was never processed by the Auch prosecutor's office or the gendarmerie. The revelation of multiple ignored warnings has triggered a wave of criticism over judicial handling of the case.
There was a report sent and normally when children are in care, it is immediate. The home triggered the alert in March and there has been no news. It is unacceptable. I do not accept it.
Accountability and next steps
Following Lyhanna's death, investigators finally questioned Léa on 15 June; she was interviewed for two hours by gendarmes accompanied by a youth worker and her lawyer. Barella, already incarcerated, is to be re-examined by the investigating judge. The case has raised urgent questions about why two separate reports of inappropriate behaviour towards children, including one by the ASE, were left unacted upon for months.
