Quadruple family murder in Gy: autopsies reveal causes of death
The prosecutor of Vesoul revealed on Saturday the results of the autopsies of four victims discovered in Gy, in Haute-Saône. The two children were shot in the back, their grandmother was stabbed and strangled.
Autopsies of the Gy killings: bullets, knife wounds and strangulation
Three days after the discovery of the bodies in Gy, Haute-Saône, the prosecutor of the Republic of Vesoul, Arnaud Grécourt, presented on Saturday 5 September the results of the autopsies of the four victims. TF1 Info reports the medical conclusions made public by the magistrate.
The four victims were two brothers aged 6 and 10, their maternal grandmother aged 74, and their father aged 42, the presumed perpetrator of the murders before turning the weapon on himself.
The two children killed by a shot in the back
"The death of the two children is directly related to a single gunshot to each child, inflicted to the posterior face of the trunk," the prosecutor stated. The forensic pathologist specifies that his findings "make it possible to consider a shot at close range". No other suspicious injuries were found on their bodies. The bodies of the two boys had been found in a vehicle.
The grandmother struck, stabbed and strangled
The circumstances of the death of the 74-year-old grandmother, found in a neighbouring bungalow, are considerably different. "The death of the female person is the consequence of major haemorrhage, resulting from three stab wounds to the chest and abdomen," Arnaud Grécourt detailed. The forensic pathologist indicates that these wounds "were inflicted with great violence". Bruising on the face, upper limbs and chest bears witness to blows or grasping. The prosecutor adds that "the findings at the level of the neck are strongly suggestive of manual strangulation, which may have contributed to the death to a lesser extent".
The father dead from a point-blank shot
Concerning the father, the prosecutor indicated that "the death of the adult male is the direct consequence of a single gunshot to the mentum region, from bottom to top", specifying that "this shot was probably fired at point-blank range". His body was also discovered in the bungalow. The weapon used for the crimes is a side-by-side shotgun with a 12-millimetre bore.
A context of separation and a filmed scene
"The working hypothesis at this stage of the investigation is that the father of the family, in the process of separation, would have caused the death of the three other persons before turning the weapon on himself," the prosecutor confirmed. He specifies that the man in his forties "had never been convicted of offences against persons".
According to a cousin of the father, a member of the Traveller community, the events took place at the moment when the grandmother came to collect the children. The latter claims that the father "filmed the scene and sent it to his wife telling her: here is what you deserve".
The family was residing temporarily in this bungalow whilst awaiting the construction of their house.
Investigators are continuing their investigation, in particular regarding the digital media seized. "Further analyses have been ordered to clarify the circumstances of the commission of the offences," concluded prosecutor Grécourt.
Source: TF1 Info