The disappearance of 11-year-old Lyhanna in Fleurance, Gers, has taken a new turn. The 41-year-old man charged in the case, Jérôme B., had already been the subject of a complaint for several months regarding the rape of a minor. This complaint, filed in August 2025, concerns another child.
Lyhanna has been missing since Friday
Lyhanna disappeared on Friday, May 29th, in Fleurance. The 11-year-old middle school student was last seen around 15 p.m. near the Hubert-Reeves middle school, where she is a student. According to the investigation, she got into the car of a man she knew. This man is the father of one of her friends. The two families knew each other. Therefore, the girl did not get into a stranger's car. Her disappearance was reported that same evening. Very quickly, the investigation ceased to be treated as a simple case of a worrying disappearance. No evidence supported the theory that she had run away. Investigators then focused on the possibility of an abduction.
A version deemed inconsistent
The suspect was arrested on Saturday, May 30, the day after the disappearance. During his police custody, he admitted to having transported Lyhanna in his vehicle but claimed to have dropped her off at the local swimming pool at her request. This version of events did not convince investigators. Jérôme B.'s statements were considered inconsistent and imprecise. They did not lead to finding the young girl. After 48 hours in custody, the man was brought before a judge. On Monday, he was formally charged with kidnapping and unlawful confinement of a minor under 15 years of age. He was then placed in pretrial detention. He remained silent before the investigating judge.
A complaint was filed nine months before the disappearance
Another case has targeted Jérôme B. since August 2025. It involves a complaint of rape of a minor under 15 years of age. The complaint was filed by the mother of a child, a friend of the suspect's daughter. The alleged acts took place in Montestruc-sur-Gers, in the Gers department, over several months between 2024 and 2025.
The child in question reportedly frequented Jérôme B.'s home because she knew his daughter. The complaint describes serious and repeated acts against a minor. At this stage, these accusations are the subject of a separate investigation.
The suspect had not been questioned.
Since the complaint was filed, Jérôme B. had not been questioned in this case. The complaint was filed on August 22, 2025, at the gendarmerie in Plaisance-du-Touch, Haute-Garonne. The case then followed a judicial circuit between prosecutors' offices, as the alleged events fell under the jurisdiction of Gers. The Toulouse prosecutor's office requested the transfer of the case to the competent prosecutor's office. The transfer was formalized in early November. The case then arrived in the jurisdiction of Auch, before being sent to the Lectoure gendarmerie for investigation in January 2026. At the time of Lyhanna's disappearance, no questioning of the accused had yet taken place in this case.
Two little girls, one connection to the suspect
The two cases therefore share a common thread. In both instances, the children knew Jérôme B. through his daughter. Lyhanna was friends with the suspect's daughter. The child named in the 2025 complaint was also friends with one of his daughters. In both cases, the connection is thus not based on an unknown or external contact, but on a close familial and social relationship. This closeness is now a central element of the investigation.
Lyhanna's parents had cut ties.
Before her disappearance, Lyhanna's parents had already distanced themselves from Jérôme B. Accounts reported by the family suggest inappropriate behavior during a visit the child made to the suspect's home. Lyhanna's mother subsequently decided to cut off all contact.
An investigation on two fronts
The main investigation remains focused on Lyhanna's disappearance. The investigation aims to establish what happened on Friday, May 29th, after she got into the suspect's vehicle. Investigators are seeking to precisely reconstruct Jérôme B.'s route, schedule, any stops, and overall activities. The suspect's car, his home, his neighborhood, and places he may have frequented are being analyzed and verified.
Meanwhile, the 2025 complaint has resurfaced. The question remains: why had the accused not yet been questioned several months after the complaint was filed?
Massive searches around Fleurance
On the ground, the search continues. Gendarmes are combing the area around Fleurance, including wooded areas, fields, lakes, waterways, and any sectors likely to have been traversed by the suspect's vehicle. Specialized resources have been deployed: canine units, drones, a helicopter, divers, and forensic technicians. Objects and clues collected during the search are being analyzed.
