Da by day, the net is closing in more and more around the main suspect in the disappearance case of 11-year-old Lyhanna in France. It seems more and more likely that Jerome B. is a predator who has been hunting minors for years. The suspicion is supported by evidence, trials, crimes and testimonies that have haunted him for years.
Where is 11-year-old Lyhanna? That's question that's keeping the French department of Police and by extension all of France on the edge. The girl disappeared last Friday after school. There has been no trace of her since then.
The girl was last seen around 3 p.m. on Friday, May 29, not far from her high school in Fleurance, a town of 6,000 inhabitants about 80 kilometers from Toulouse. A witness had seen her after she left the vicinity of the school in a man's car. This was reported by Clémence Meyer, Auch's public prosecutor to France 3 Occitanie.
Six days after the disappearance of 11-year-old Lyhanna Bernard in the southern French town of Fleurance, more and more disturbing details are emerging about the prime suspect Jerome B. The 41-year-old man, father of a friend of Lyhanna's and the last person with whom she was seen, is in pre-trial detention on suspicion of kidnapping and unlawful confinement.
Child abuser who has been active for years?
The prosecutor's office has a prime suspect: it's the 41-year-old father of a friend. The prosecutor's office arrested this man on Sunday. It would effectively be the driver of the car in which Lyhanna was seen at her school. That man is the father of two children, including a friend of Lyhanna's. He could be identified from surveillance cameras in the city. He stated to investigators that he had dropped the girl off by car "at her request" "near the Fleurance swimming pool." But the prosecutor's office ruled that his statements were rather "incoherent and inaccurate." That's why, on Sunday, his pre-trial detention was extended. Apparently, his behavior only makes him even more suspicious in this disappearance case. For example, as reported by the Agen prosecutor in a press release the man did not want to talk or answer questions addressed by the judge. The man is under suspicion of kidnapping and was remanded in custody.
Suspect gave Lyhanna snacks every day
The kidnapped girl knew the suspect well, her mother confirmed to BFMTV. "She knew him, she had a sleepover at the beginning of the school year at Sofia's house, her best friend. She told us that he liked tickling her and that he had played with her a lot," she recalled. "We asked if it had gone beyond that. She looked at us a little shocked, as if she didn't quite understand what we were talking about. She said no, that he had just played with her, like a father would play with his daughter."
The young girl saw him every morning when she took the bus to school. "He brought snacks for Lyhanna every day. If it's someone she knows, yes, she would get in the car if he offered to take her home, and I think that's what happened," Lyhanna's mother said.
Complaints pile up
According to BFMTV, serious allegations have been pending against the man for some time. In the past, three separate lawsuits were filed against him, each involving minors. A 2017 investigation into a relationship with a 17-year-old girl was dismissed, as was a 2024 complaint for allegedly raping a minor. Another case was opened in 2025 after a 10-year-old girl stated that she was allegedly raped by him on multiple occasions.
Recently, a new complaint was added. The father of a young girl stated that Jerome B. committed inappropriate acts during a sleepover. According to him, the man allegedly groped his daughter while she was sleeping, in a home where other girls were also present.
Professionally, there were also complaints filed. In 2021, Jerome B. was fired as a maintenance worker after complaints of transgressive behavior toward a student, including repeatedly sending intrusive messages.
His lawyer stresses that for now he is innocent and that in some cases, he was never questioned. Still, public unrest is growing as more and more elements point to a possible pattern of troubling behavior.
Hunters join search
The search for Lyhanna, who disappeared in the southern French town of Fleurance, has expanded. Police asked hunters who know the area well to help the search.
©Mahshid Saberpour via Unsplash - illustration image of a man in a cell