Thousands of mourners gathered for a silent march in Fleurance, France, on Sunday, for 11-year-old Lyhanna, whose murder sparked national outrage. The grief was intensified by revelations that law enforcement had failed to question the suspected killer regarding previous child sexual abuse allegations. Lyhanna's parents led the cortege through the south-western village, bearing a banner that read “Never again,” while many participants, including children, wore white shirts adorned with the young victim's smiling portrait.

The killing has ignited a fervent national debate concerning the delays and systemic failures within France's justice system. It emerged that the man currently held in connection with Lyhanna’s disappearance and murder, Jérôme Barella, a father of two and school cleaner, had been known to police since 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron conceded that an “unacceptable” failure had occurred within the legal system. During a visit to Montenegro, he stated, “We cannot ignore the fact that flaws have been exposed. It is not a question of resources but responsibilities that will need to be determined through an official investigation.”

Lyhanna was last seen on May 29, getting into a grey car in Fleurance, Gers département, identified as belonging to Barella. Her body was discovered seven days later in a disused grain silo located 15km from where she went missing. Barella has denied the murder, claiming he had dropped her off at the local swimming pool.

Following Barella's arrest, a disturbing pattern of previous allegations came to light. Last August, the mother of a 10-year-old girl reported that Barella had allegedly raped her daughter multiple times. A preliminary investigation, which included victim interviews, psychological and medical reports confirming injuries consistent with sexual abuse, and details of earlier accusations against Barella, was sent by Toulouse police to the prosecutor’s office at Auch in January with instructions to question him. However, the prosecutor’s office reportedly did not open the file for several weeks and then took another six weeks to assign officers to the case. Consequently, Barella had not been contacted or summoned for questioning in the three months leading up to Lyhanna's abduction and murder.

Further accusations have also surfaced. In December 2017, a mother reported her 17-year-old daughter was in a relationship with Barella, but this case was dropped in 2018 after the daughter claimed consent. In 2021, Barella was fired from a cleaning position at another school due to alleged inappropriate online behavior with a female student; it is unclear if this incident was reported to the police. In January 2022, he was accused of raping a seven-year-old child at his home in south-western France. This case was transferred to the local prosecutor but was dismissed in 2024 due to a lack of evidence, with the public prosecutor in Auch, Clémence Meyer, stating that medical and psychological inquiries could not verify the allegation. Meyer also confirmed that a new accusation of rape was lodged last week and is now part of the ongoing investigation.

France’s Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin, highlighted a significant backlog of 3 million police complaints, including 70,000 allegations of rape or sexual assault. Darmanin, who had instructed police last year to prioritize sexual abuse cases, described the breakdown in the legal system as “terrifying.” He stated, “We failed to follow up on the complaints. I will take full responsibility for this. I am furious about this situation.” The minister pledged to forgo his holiday and ensure no senior magistrate would take leave until he had met “one by one with the public prosecutors” to assess the situation. Gregory Bobbato, the mayor of Fleurance, encapsulated the pervasive sentiment, telling Agence France-Presse, “today, we are an angry town, an angry region, an angry country,” asserting that Lyhanna’s death was “the latest act in a tragedy that has been unfolding for far too long” and that “never again should children be prey for predators who roam with impunity.”