Body of Missing 11-Year-Old Girl Found in French Grain Silo

A body has been found in the search for an 11-year-old girl who disappeared last week in southwestern France, as authorities revealed the main suspect had been the subject of multiple prior allegations of sexual assault against minors that were dismissed or not acted upon. The discovery was made on Thursday afternoon inside an old grain silo approximately 15 kilometers from Fleurance, in the Gers region, where the girl, Lyhanna, was last seen. A prosecutor later stated the body was that of a child wearing clothing similar to what Lyhanna wore when she vanished on May 29 after reportedly entering a man’s vehicle near her school.

The suspect, a 41-year-old father of two, was arrested after investigators identified inconsistencies in his account. He acknowledged giving Lyhanna a ride but claimed he dropped her off near a local swimming pool. He has been formally charged with the abduction and false imprisonment of a minor under the age of fifteen and is in provisional detention.

The case has triggered national outrage and scrutiny of judicial and police procedures following disclosures about the suspect’s history. Prosecutor Clemence Meyer confirmed several earlier complaints had...