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[zon]

I searched for it but I couldn't find a thread. Several different search attempts didn't find anything. Apologies if this has already been brought up.

European warrant launched for murdered family's father

French prosecutors have launched a European warrant for Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, whose wife and four children were found dead at their home in the western town of Nantes on Thursday. A woman in the Paris, who says she was his mistress, claims to have received threats by letter and SMS, while another woman connected to the family has gone missing.

Dupont de Ligonnès, who is reported to have been sighted at Nice near the Italian border, is now being sought throughout the area covered by the Schengen agreement. He is wanted as a witness, although French media have quoted evidence that he planned the killings by training at a shooting gallery and sending messages that the family would be moving out of the area.

The autopsy has shown that the victims were killed in their sleep around 3-4 April, before being buried beneath the patio of their home.

An appeal for information has prompted hundreds of responses, not all credible, every day. But police are taking seriously claims of threats by a woman living in the Paris region, who says that she was Dupont de Ligonnès’s “mistress” and that he owed her 50,000 euros.

She has moved out of her home after receiving a letter telling her, “We had some good times together, now you are going to become acquainted with sorrow.” It appears to have been sent on or near the day of the murder.

Although the father of the family declared an income of just 4,000 euros for 2010, the family owned four cars and paid rent of 1,300 euros a month. Investigators believe he may have set up a phoney company in order to borrow money from banks and individuals.

A raid on Saturday on the home of Dupont de Ligonnès’s aunt in the Var region, where he is known to have been on 15 April, revealed no clues.

But the inquiry is looking into the “worrying disappearance” of 50-year-old Colette Deromme on 14 April. Deromme lived in the Var village of Lorgues, where the family stayed before 2003.

The priest at the church which the victims attended called on the congregation to pray for them at Easter Sunday mass. The youngest boy, Benoît, was a choirboy there.

The funerals are to take place on Thursday.

I've seen several other things reported in other news articles as well:

He had asked one of the teachers at his shooting club how to use a silencer for his .22 caliber rifle.

The police has found payments made by the father for (among other things) the sacks they found the victims buried in.

The father had started to bring two of his sons to the shooting range but he told the employees that his sons would not be able to attend the coming lesson at 9 April when they went there on 1 April.

--------

UPDATE

The father of four killed story made me think of this, of course it's already on GAF, but there is an update:

Killing of Nantes: the father, prime suspect, wanted by Interpol

The hunt spreads out. Suspected of having murdered his wife and four children in Nantes, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was previously sought in the Schengen area. But an Interpol warrant was issued, Tuesday, April 26, by the Nantese judge assigned to the case. "Called 'blue notice", this warrant is broadcast worldwide, "said Tuesday night the state prosecutor in Nantes, Xavier Ronsin.

Actively sought since the discovery of the bodies under the patio of the family home on April 21, the suspect, aged 50, seems not to have left a trace since April 15. "We lost the trail at the Formule 1 hotel in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, in the department of Var", said an investigator. That day, the man on the run gave up his Citroën C5 in the parking lot of the hotel, after withdrawing the previous day 30 euros from an ATM in the same town.

To try to find him, a general commission was launched, and all branches of the interregional judicial police (DIPJ) were mobilized. A hotline was also set up to try to gather evidence. For the four policemen of Nantes assigned to this task, the sorting work is not simple. "One hundred and forty witness stories have arrived so far" says Xavier Ronsin. "Naturally, the fanciful statements are wasting time and energy, but it is essential that everything is checked ... This is the case off patent case of mythomania."

To date, no witness has permitted to determine with certainty that Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès had been seen "in any part of the [French] territory or the Schengen area since April 15" said the prosecutor.

ONE OF THE SONS MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED AFTER THE OTHERS

The judicial police of Nantes also continues to retrace the days before the tragedy. Thus far, it was able to verify certain dates, critical to its investigation. On April 1st, the suspect bought cement, a spade, and a hoe. The next day he bought four 10kg bags of lime, in different stores around Nantes.

Investigators also ascertained that the couple and three of his children had dinner on the evening of April 3 in a restaurant in Nantes. The coroners have placed the date of death at either 3 or April 4.

But they have recently been able to verify that Thomas, 18, student in musicology at Angers, had come back to Nantes on April 5. The assumption that he was killed after the others is considered. Especially since his body was discovered in a second pit, with the two family dogs, while the other four bodies were buried in one place.

The list of audits to be carried out is far from complete. Another witness said he saw indeed Agnès Dupont de Ligonnès alive on April 7. The police would like to have proof. And are working in that direction.

But their priority is to find the suspect. According to Xavier Ronsin, "forty investigators from the DIPJ and from the French central police are fully mobilized on this matter."

For those who don't know French geography:

In the west is Loire-Atlantique, the department of which Nantes is the prefecture (department capital), and in the south-east are the department of Var, where the suspect has been seen, and the city of Nice in the neighboring department of Alpes-Maritimes, where he may have been seen.

If he was indeed seen in Nice, then it's almost certain he went to Italy, but where is he now? I also wonder what he needed those 30€ for.

If the OP would like to update..

 

[Xeke]

I wouldn't really call that "mass murder".

 

[xbhaskarx]

They should issue an edict against this sort of thing.

Spoiler

the only thing I know about Nantes is the Edict of Nantes

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Just horrible to here this...

But it is weird that I haven't heard of this, I live in the Netherlands and I'd think this would be news here

 

[Roude Leiw]

was in the news in germany.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Is "the Paris" like the Hague?

 

[fabricated backlash]

Why must those people allways butcher their whole family... it's allways saddening to hear these kind of stories.

 

[Kafel]

my city <3

 

[Ezalc]

If the killer was named Edmond then I would have a better pun.

Anyways, I wouldn't call this mass murder either but it's still sad. That demented motherfucker man.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

please compare the first replies in this thread with the thread about the kitten that got left to die. :/

anyway: sick stuff happend in the last couple of days.

 

[Proxy]

Lots of depressing stories this weekend. On the topic of whether or not this can be called mass murder, it's pretty much the definition of mass murder.

 

[Magni]

The father of four killed story made me think of this, of course it's already on GAF, but there is an update:

Killing of Nantes: the father, prime suspect, wanted by Interpol

The hunt spreads out. Suspected of having murdered his wife and four children in Nantes, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was previously sought in the Schengen area. But an Interpol warrant was issued, Tuesday, April 26, by the Nantese judge assigned to the case. "Called 'blue notice", this warrant is broadcast worldwide, "said Tuesday night the state prosecutor in Nantes, Xavier Ronsin.

Actively sought since the discovery of the bodies under the patio of the family home on April 21, the suspect, aged 50, seems not to have left a trace since April 15. "We lost the trail at the Formule 1 hotel in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, in the department of Var", said an investigator. That day, the man on the run gave up his Citroën C5 in the parking lot of the hotel, after withdrawing the previous day 30 euros from an ATM in the same town.

To try to find him, a general commission was launched, and all branches of the interregional judicial police (DIPJ) were mobilized. A hotline was also set up to try to gather evidence. For the four policemen of Nantes assigned to this task, the sorting work is not simple. "One hundred and forty witness stories have arrived so far" says Xavier Ronsin. "Naturally, the fanciful statements are wasting time and energy, but it is essential that everything is checked ... This is the case off patent case of mythomania."

To date, no witness has permitted to determine with certainty that Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès had been seen "in any part of the [French] territory or the Schengen area since April 15" said the prosecutor.

ONE OF THE SONS MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED AFTER THE OTHERS

The judicial police of Nantes also continues to retrace the days before the tragedy. Thus far, it was able to verify certain dates, critical to its investigation. On April 1st, the suspect bought cement, a spade, and a hoe. The next day he bought four 10kg bags of lime, in different stores around Nantes.

Investigators also ascertained that the couple and three of his children had dinner on the evening of April 3 in a restaurant in Nantes. The coroners have placed the date of death at either 3 or April 4.

But they have recently been able to verify that Thomas, 18, student in musicology at Angers, had come back to Nantes on April 5. The assumption that he was killed after the others is considered. Especially since his body was discovered in a second pit, with the two family dogs, while the other four bodies were buried in one place.

The list of audits to be carried out is far from complete. Another witness said he saw indeed Agnès Dupont de Ligonnès alive on April 7. The police would like to have proof. And are working in that direction.

But their priority is to find the suspect. According to Xavier Ronsin, "forty investigators from the DIPJ and from the French central police are fully mobilized on this matter."

For those who don't know French geography:

In the west is Loire-Atlantique, the department of which Nantes is the prefecture (department capital), and in the south-east are the department of Var, where the suspect has been seen, and the city of Nice in the neighboring department of Alpes-Maritimes, where he may have been seen.

If he was indeed seen in Nice, then it's almost certain he went to Italy, but where is he now? I also wonder what he needed those 30€ for.

If the OP would like to update..

 

[Blue Ninja]

Been on the news here, too. Really strange story.

 

[zon]

The father of four killed story made me think of this, of course it's already on GAF, but there is an update:



For those who don't know French geography:
http://i.imgur.com/69LO8.gif[/IMG
In the west is Loire-Atlantique, the department of which Nantes is the prefecture (department capital), and in the south-east are the department of Var, where the suspect has been seen, and the city of Nice in the neighboring department of Alpes-Maritimes, where he may have been seen.

If he was indeed seen in Nice, then it's almost certain he went to Italy, but where is he now? I also wonder what he needed those 30€ for.

If the OP would like to update..[/QUOTE]

Done and done. I bolded some of the interesting bits.

 

[LQX]

Why no G.A.F? The F could have served for France.

 

[Zeke]

wtf thread needs a title change

 

[Magni]

Done and done. I bolded some of the interesting bits.

Thanks, sorry I was a bit quick and lazy on the bolding haha..

To whoever asked about "the Paris" if it wasn't sarcasm, I'm guessing it's a Google Translate error, what was meant was "the Parisian region."