Lyhanna's civil funeral will take place on Friday, June 12th at 14:30 pm in Fleurance, Gers. At the same time, the case is taking a new legal turn: Rosa's mother, who accuses Jérôme Barella of raping her daughter, is launching legal proceedings against the State, investigators, magistrates, and Gérald Darmanin.
A child buried in Fleurance
Eleven-year-old Lyhanna will be buried on Friday, June 12, at 2:30 p.m. in Fleurance, the town in the Gers department where she disappeared on May 29 after leaving school. Her parents have published her death notice. The ceremony will be a civil one and will be held at the town cemetery.
The body of the schoolgirl was found on Thursday, June 4th, in an abandoned agricultural silo. Identification was confirmed by DNA comparison. The investigation has been reclassified as the kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and murder of a minor under 15 years of age. The exact cause of death had not yet been established following the initial forensic examination.
Rosa's mother sues the state
Rosa's mother, born in 2014, announces a lawsuit against the State for gross negligence. She filed a complaint on August 22, 2025, against Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in Lyhanna's death, for alleged rapes committed against her daughter between September 2024 and May 2025. Rosa was interviewed five days later. Forensic and psychological examinations were subsequently carried out. Despite this evidence, Jérôme Barella was not questioned, arrested, or taken into custody in this case before Lyhanna's disappearance and subsequent death. The case file circulated between the public prosecutors' offices in Toulouse and Auch before being transferred to the Lectoure gendarmerie in January 2026.
Investigators, magistrates, Darmanin: several legal proceedings announced
Rosa's mother's lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, announced two legal avenues: a lawsuit against the State in the civil court for gross negligence, and criminal proceedings targeting the investigators and magistrates involved in the case. The charges announced are endangering the lives of others and failure to assist a person in danger. A complaint will also be filed against Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Justice, before the Court of Justice of the Republic. The lawyer believes that responsibility cannot be deferred to an abstract institution and that those who handled the case must be held accountable for their decisions or inaction.
The Rosa case has remained without the suspect being questioned.
During her statement, Rosa's mother recalled having repeatedly raised the alarm after Rosa filed her complaint. She stated that she called every Monday morning to inquire about the status of the investigation. She said she was always told that the case was progressing. Her central grievance is simple: for months, the suspect was not confronted with his daughter's accusations. Jérôme Barella is currently the subject of several complaints and reports of alleged sexual assault. He remains presumed innocent of the charges against him.
Darmanin acknowledges a failure
Gérald Darmanin and Laurent Nuñez were questioned Tuesday morning by the Senate's Law Committee regarding the Lyhanna case. The Minister of Justice acknowledged a failure in the handling of the Rosa case and stated that the complaint filed in August 2025 should have prompted a faster response. He also instructed the public prosecutors to review all complaints concerning children, approximately 70.000 cases. An investigation has been launched; its report is expected to be released in the coming days.
Matignon promises tighter deadlines
At Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu convened the ministers responsible for child protection: Interior, Justice, Health, National Education, and Equality. Several measures were on the table: harsher penalties for serial rape, changes to the statute of limitations, better information for victims during the legal process, and a requirement to provide reasons for dismissals of sexual crimes and offenses. Regarding crimes against children, investigative actions must be carried out within a maximum of three months, Matignon specified. The government also intends to incorporate new measures into the draft law on child protection, already presented to the Council of Ministers, and to expedite the review of a cross-party bill on gender-based and sexual violence.
A legal, political and administrative matter
The criminal proceedings into Lyhanna's death are ongoing. The investigation still needs to establish the exact circumstances of her death, the sequence of events, and any potential criminal liability. In parallel, the administrative inquiry will have to determine why previous complaints and reports did not lead to swifter action. On Friday, Fleurance will bury Lyhanna. On Tuesday, the state has already been summoned to provide an explanation.
