The body of the girl, named as Lyhanna, was found last week after she went missing on May 29 in the southwestern town of Fleurance. The suspect, a 41-year-old father of a school friend of the victim, had twice before been formally accused of raping a child, but investigations had been dropped or had stalled. Around 60,000 people protested the killing across France this week, some demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin. Mourners gathered at a local cemetery under the bright sun, with
pallbearers carrying a small blue coffin with the child’s body to its final resting place. One mourner wore a T-shirt with the photo of the girl and the words: “Our honour. We will neither forget nor remain silent.” “We are not saying goodbye to a symbol or a cause, but to an 11-and-a-half-year-old girl: Lyhanna,” said the mayor, Gregory Bobbato, praising her parents’ “dignity”. On Friday morning, flags flew at half-mast at Fleurance town hall, and flowers, candles and toys were laid at the foot
of a cedar tree outside the school where Lyhanna was last seen. On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said he feared for trust in France’s institutions after a botched investigation into the main suspect, Jerome Barella. Barella lived with his family in the neighbouring village of Montestruc-sur-Gers and had previously worked in schools.
Lyhanna, Fleurance, France protests, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Jerome Barella, missing girl May 29, child rape allegations, justice system