Body found in search for missing 11-year-old girl in Gers, south-west France
Suspect worked on farm where remains were recovered
The body was found in a silo at a farm in Puycasquier, Gers, close to the town of Fleurance where the girl was last seen
Abaca Press/Alamy
The body of a girl found in an agricultural silo in Gers on Thursday (June 4) is thought to be that of an 11-year-old girl who went missing in the area.
The body is currently being identified but is almost certainly that of Lyhanna, an 11-year old who has been subject of a major manhunt by authorities for the last week.
“In an area secluded from direct view, the body appearing to be that of a child was found, wearing clothing similar to that the abducted and held captive minor was wearing at the time of her disappearance,” said public prosecutor Olivier Naboulet in a press conference about the discovery.
“It is with the utmost horror that we learned of the discovery of a body wearing the same clothes Lyhanna wore on the day she disappeared… While awaiting the autopsy, this is now a time for reflection and mourning,” said Lyhanna’s family through their lawyer.
“The family wishes to thank everyone who participated in the search.”
Suspect arrested after ‘systematic failure’ of justice system
The case has gripped France in the last week, leading to sadness and anger from locals.
The suspect, 41-year-old Jerôme Barella, has been formally charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment of Lyhanna.
Murder and sexual assault may be added to these charges following identification of the body and further investigation.
Mr Barella is believed to have worked on the farm in Puycasquier where the body was found – around 15km from Fleurance, location of the last sighting of Lyhanna – further linking him to the case, but he remains adamant he is innocent.
He said that he picked up Lyhanna, a friend of his teenage daughter, in his car before dropping her off outside the town’s swimming pool, and insisted she must have disappeared after this.
When Mr Barella was announced as a suspect in the case, the media discovered that he has been the subject of several complaints of sexual harassment against minors, with the first coming in 2017 and the latest as recently as 2025.
The first complaint came after the mother of a 17-year old discovered her daughter had been in a relationship with an adult man for several months. It was later redacted after the girl said the relationship was consensual.
In 2021, Mr Barella was dismissed from a secondary school he worked at in Gers “following disciplinary proceedings after reports of inappropriate behavior towards a female pupil,” said the authority responsible for managing educational facilities in the region.
He had worked at several schools between 2018 and 2021 as a maintenance/repair worker.
However, he had not received a formal complaint over the incident, despite the school’s internal disciplinary proceedings.
A complaint in 2022 relating to the suspected rape of a seven-year old by Mr Barella was dropped due to insufficient evidence in 2024, and in 2025 the mother of a ten-year old girl filed another complaint with the gendarmerie, accusing Mr Barella of raping her daughter.
Passed between two public prosecutors, the investigation only opened in January 2026 – nine months after the complaint – and Mr Barella was not questioned before the disappearance of Lyhanna.
Since the announcement of Mr Barella’s arrest in the press, another complaint against him over suspected rape of a minor has been made.
This information has led to furore against France’s justice department, with many baffled at how Mr Barella remained at large despite the mounting complaints against his conduct.
“You can only acknowledge failure when the judicial system fails to protect a child,” said Justice ministry spokesperson Sacha Straub-Kahn in an interview with Franceinfo on Friday (June 5).
“There are probably systemic failings within the judicial system, and also likely failings within the police force, the gendarmerie… possibly, indeed, within the national education system itself,” he added.
Justice minister Gérald Darmanin will hold an emergency meeting on Monday over the incident with all chief prosecutors, in an attempt to discover flaws in France’s judicial system.
