The body of the girl, named as Lyhanna, was found last week after she went missing on May 29 in the southwestern town of Fleurance.The suspect, a 41-year-old father of a school friend of the victim, had twice before been formally accused of raping a child, but investigations had been dropped or had stalled."It is trust in our institutions that is at stake," Macron told a cabinet meeting, according to government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.But he called for calm after nationwide anger over the handling of previous allegations against the main suspect, adding: "We do not respond to a tragedy with shouting."
Lyhanna's grandparents attended a silent march to demand new child protection laws on Tuesday in Saint-Jean d'Angely, southwestern France © ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP
"There have been clear malfunctions. We must now understand what falls under individual responsibilities and what concerns systemic lapses within all the public services involved," Macron said.Around 60,000 people protested across the country on Monday, some demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin.Darmanin has refused to step down, but apologised for what he called a "huge failure" in the Lyhanna case.Authorities have not yet announced the results of a forensic examination of the girl's body. They have not charged the suspect, who has been named as Jerome B, with any crime beyond abduction.Jerome B., who lived with his family in the neighbouring village of Montestruc-sur-Gers, had previously worked in schools.The girl's funeral will be held at 2:30 pm (1230 GMT) on Friday "in the strictest privacy" according to her family's lawyer.'I called every Monday'One woman had filed a legal complaint against the suspect in August last year, accusing him of repeatedly raping her daughter, who was born in 2014, between September 2024 and May 2025.The case was backed up by a medical report, according to the justice minister. But police had not questioned him by the time Lyhanna went missing nine months later."The justice system did not do its job," the mother, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters on Tuesday.
