A MISSING schoolgirl has been found dead – as police arrest her friend’s dad, a man previously accused of rape.
The young victim, named only as Lyhanna, vanished without a trace last Friday near the quiet village of Fleurance in south-west France.
French police guard a farm silo where a body was found yesterday during the search to find missing 11 year-old girl Lyhanna Credit: AP
Police inspect vehicles during the search for evidence in the case of missing 11-year-old Lyhanna in Fleurance Credit: AP
Her disappearance sparked a desperate search after she was reportedly seen getting into a man’s car.
Police confirmed a body discovered on Thursday on a remote farm near the village of Puycasquier is Lyhanna.
A police statement read: “At this time, the identification of the victim is confirmed, by means of a DNA comparison: the body discovered is indeed that of Lyhanna.”
The body was found wearing clothes similar to those the schoolgirl had on when she disappeared – crushing any remaining hope she would be found alive.
Now, a 41-year-old father-of-two has been detained as the prime suspect.
The man – believed to be the father of one of Lyhanna’s friends – was arrested after being confronted with damning CCTV footage.
During questioning, he admitted giving the girl a lift in his car – but claimed he later dropped her off at a swimming pool.
In a further shocking twist, it has emerged the suspect had previously faced multiple rape allegations that were never pursued.
Prosecutor Clemence Meyer revealed a disturbing of complaints against the suspect.
In December 2017, a mum reported that her 17-year-old daughter had been in a relationship with him – but the case was dropped in 2018 after the girl said she had consented.
In January 2022, another complaint accused him of raping a child under 15 in 2020 at his home.
That case was ultimately dismissed in 2024 due to lack of evidence.
Then, on August 22, 2025, a third allegation surfaced – with the mum of a girl born in 2014 accusing him of raping her child between September 2024 and May 2025.
The complaint was transferred between prosecutors before police were finally ordered to investigate in January – but shockingly, he had still not been questioned when Lyhanna disappeared.
“The investigation was still under way when Lyhanna went missing,” Meyer said.
She added that yet another complaint alleging the rape of a minor had been filed on Wednesday.
France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, has now demanded an inquiry into how the earlier cases were handled.
Campaigners have reacted with fury.
“I am stunned and I am angry,” said Anne-Cécile Mailfert, of the Women’s Foundation.
“Another 10-year-old girl found the immense courage to tell her parents. They supported her, they believed her, she went to the police, they filed a complaint, and then nothing happened,” she said.
“We’re calling for a comprehensive against sexual violence, because the system doesn’t work.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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