US child protection body flagged Lyhanna murder suspect years before killing, but French police took no action

A cascade of red flags

In 2023 the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded to France’s Office for Minors (Ofmin) at least one alert about Jérôme Barella, the man now accused of abducting and killing Lyhanna in the Gers. The alert, an exchange with a minor on a messaging app, contained no images or violent language. It carried only a telephone number, no name, and was deemed a “weak signal.” French investigators discovered the NCMEC reports only after Lyhanna’s death, when they combed through files. The local gendarmerie unit that had received earlier complaints against Barella never asked for a technical cross‑check that might have identified him.

A suspect with a long record

Barella, a 41‑year‑old temporary worker and father of two, had attracted attention well before 2023. In 2017 a mother reported him for a relationship with her 17‑year‑old daughter, but the case was dropped because the daughter was above the age of consent and the relationship appeared consensual. In 2020 he was disciplined at a school in Lectoure (Gers) for sending sexual messages to a female student, leading to his dismissal in February 2021 – an incident that, according to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, was never reported to the courts. A complaint of repeated rapes of a ten‑year‑old girl was lodged in August 2025, with medical examinations in September and October revealing lesions consistent with rape. Yet Barella had still not been questioned when Lyhanna disappeared on 29 May 2025. In February 2026 another child reported being touched during a pyjama party at Barella’s home.

An office submerged by alerts

Ofmin receives between 200,000 and 318,000 reports a year, the vast majority originating in the United States. With a staff of around 53 investigators in 2025, the unit can process only a fraction of cases. Officers must prioritise the most urgent signals, such as live‑streamed child sexual abuse, leaving thousands of lower‑priority alerts untouched.

200,000 alerts, 95% of which come from the United States. We manage to process 5%. We are unable to do more.

In 2023 we received 318,000 alerts – 870 a day.

The NCMEC, founded in 1984, aggregates tip‑offs from internet service providers and tech platforms under US law and passes them to national police forces. In Barella’s case, the reports landed at the French judicial police headquarters in Nanterre but were never forwarded to prosecutors. A source close to the investigation told Le Parisien that the dossier contained “a telephone number unknown” and would have required a formal identification procedure that was never initiated.

Aftermath and official scrutiny

Lyhanna was reported missing on 29 May and found dead on 4 June. Barella was indicted for kidnapping and unlawful confinement. A formal inspection report on possible failures in the case is due to be published on 19 June. The revelations have triggered national anger, with questions over why multiple warning signs – domestic complaints, an international alert – failed to stop a repeat offender.

US law requires internet providers or online companies to report any suspicious content, such as child pornography, sex trafficking, or violence against children.

The case has amplified calls for more resources for France’s overstretched child‑protection units. As a police union delegate put it, “We are incapable of processing more.”