Le mystère Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès

On July 3rd, 2011, the Dupont de Ligonnès family spent an ordinary day at their home in Nantes. Agnès, Xavier, Anne, and Benoît were at home, while Arthur was at a pizzeria and Thomas was at his boarding school. In the evening, the family went to the cinema to see the film "Rango," followed by dinner at the Charolais Grill. They returned home around 10 PM. At 10:37 PM, Xavier called his sister, Christine, but she didn't answer. Later that night, Agnès, Anne, and Arthur spoke with friends on the phone. Xavier prepared a herbal tea, allegedly adding a sedative, before the family went to sleep. According to authorities, Xavier then murdered his wife and three of his children with a .22 Long Rifle carbine. He had acquired a similar carbine two months prior from a recently deceased relative in Levallois-Péret. For several weeks, Xavier had trained at a shooting range in Nantes and purchased a silencer and ammunition. Agnès, Anne, and Arthur were each shot twice in the head at close range. Benoît received two additional shots to the chest. Despite the violence, neighbors heard little, though some reported unusual sounds until 2 AM. The children, Léon and Jules, were also killed with a .22 Long Rifle. On Monday, July 4th, Xavier began covering up the murders. He called his wife's workplace and his children's schools, claiming they were sick or had been in an accident. He then started preparing the terrace where the bodies would be buried. Three days later, Xavier bought cement, gravel, adhesive, a toilet, a stove, and wood from Castorama and Jardiland—materials needed to dig a hole or terrace and conceal the bodies. That evening, Xavier had dinner with his son, Thomas, who was at his boarding school in Angers and unaware of the events in Nantes. Thomas felt unwell during dinner, and his father took him back to Angers. Thomas later told a friend he experienced sudden fatigue and couldn't remember anything from the dinner. On the morning of April 5th, at 7 PM, Xavier called Thomas, asking him to come to Nantes because his mother had been hospitalized in a coma after a bike accident. Thomas took a train, arrived home at midnight, watched "Midnight Express" with his father, and drank another herbal tea prepared by Xavier. Investigators believe Thomas was also sedated that night and subsequently killed with the same .22 Long Rifle carbine. The hole under the terrace was enlarged, with a separate section for Thomas's body. For several days, life appeared normal at the Dupont de Ligonnès home. Family members' phones continued to post on social media and respond to messages. The shutters were often closed, but a note on the door at 55 Boulevard Schumann read, "Do not ring, we are all sick," accompanied by a smiling emoji. Xavier gradually informed employers and schools that he was being transferred abroad and his family would follow him in a hurry. On Friday, April 8th, Xavier wrote a letter to some relatives, stating, "Mega surprise, we left urgently for the USA under very particular conditions that we explain below. As you read this letter, we are no longer in France and will not be able to return for an indefinite time." He added a postscript: "PS, no need to take care of the rubble and other messes piled under the terrace, it was already there when we arrived here." To his mistress, Catherine, to whom he owed tens of thousands of euros, Xavier wrote, "My darling, you are the only one I write to before leaving. We are leaving to remake our lives in Australia, leaving our troubles behind and with no intention of returning. You will find your 50,000 euros in a few years, but only when I will. You will have more patience, no one will find me." Xavier had indeed accumulated debt and struggled to support his family through his hotel activities. Months later, in a letter to his two best friends, Emmanuel Tuner and Michel Rettif, Xavier wrote that the events had been "voluntarily provoked by me even if the proofs are formal. I am very serious, I am not on drugs or alcohol." On Sunday, April 10th, at 7:30 AM, Xavier definitively left his Nantes home and drove south. He spent the night in Puy-le-Boraux, near La Rochelle, on the evening of his departure. On the 11th, he stayed in Toulouse-Blagnac. On the 12th, he was in Pontay, near Avignon. On the 13th, he was in Sainte-Maxime. April 14th marked the end of his journey, as Xavier arrived in Roquebrune-sur-Argens. His route was not random; he passed through familiar places, cities where he had lived, vacationed, or had family and friends. This period culminated on July 14th in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, Var. Xavier booked a less luxurious hotel, a Formula 1, checking in at 3 PM. At 5 PM, he was seen withdrawing €30 from a bank. He spent the night at the Formula 1 and was photographed on Sunday, April 15th, at 8 AM in his hotel room, holding a police book. This is the last known photograph of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès released to the public. Around 10 AM, Xavier arranged his belongings, including his computer, in his car and drove out of the parking lot, disappearing from radar for several hours. At 4:10 PM, Xavier's blue Citroën C5 reappeared in the Formula 1 parking lot in Roquebrune-sur-Argens. He exited the vehicle and was again filmed by surveillance cameras. These images, reviewed by investigators, show him holding a garment bag containing a long object, believed to be the .22 Long Rifle carbine. Since that Friday, April 15th, 2011, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès has not been seen. Police were slow to act. The first reports from concerned relatives about the disappearance of the Ligonnès family came on Wednesday, April 13th, when a neighbor called the police, worried about the closed shutters for several days. After several more reports, an inquiry was opened on Monday, April 19th. Police visited the apartment multiple times, noting suspicious but not immediately incriminating details. Investigators found no trace of blood in the entire house, a fact considered exceptional by specialists, suggesting the murders were meticulously planned and executed. On July 21st, a police officer finally noticed that the dog's toys were strangely arranged on the terrace. She saw freshly poured cement and a hole underneath. It was there that the bodies of Agnès, Anne, Benoît, Thomas, and Arthur were found, buried in the night, wrapped in sheets and bags, accompanied by religious objects. Autopsies confirmed they had been shot with a .22 Long Rifle carbine. On the day the bodies were discovered, police identified Xavier's blue Citroën C5 in the Formula 1 parking lot in Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Inside, they found alcohol bottles, cigarettes, and clothes, but no trace of the carbine, telephone, or computer. Fifteen years later, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, the primary suspect, has never been found. Several leads have been explored, including monasteries and religious communities, and abroad. Authorities continue to investigate his whereabouts, with no definitive answers regarding his potential death or continued flight. If alive, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès would now be 65 years old.