Triple murder in Gy: two children shot dead, grandmother killed with knife
Post-mortem examinations reveal that the two boys, aged 6 and 10, each received a gunshot wound to the back, whilst their grandmother died from three knife wounds.
Post-mortems in Gy: distinct methods of killing for each of the three victims
The results of post-mortem examinations carried out on Friday were released on Saturday by the prosecutor in Vesoul, according to France Info. They confirm the violent nature of the deaths of the two boys, aged 6 and 10, and their 74-year-old grandmother, found dead on Wednesday in Gy, Haute-Saône.
Both children were each killed by a single gunshot wound to the back, fired at close range. "The deaths of the two boys are directly linked to a single gunshot fired at each of the children," prosecutor Arnaud Grécourt stated. The forensic pathologist found no other suspicious injuries on their bodies.
The grandmother, mother of the suspect's wife, died from "major haemorrhage" caused by three knife wounds to the chest and abdomen. The forensic pathologist emphasises that these wounds were inflicted "with great violence". Bruises resulting from blows or grasping were also found on her face, upper limbs and chest. Findings around the neck are moreover "strongly suggestive of manual strangulation", which may have contributed to death "to a lesser extent", according to the public prosecutor's office.
The 42-year-old father of the family was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the chin, directed "from below upwards", probably fired "at point blank range", according to the autopsy findings.
The father himself had alerted the gendarmerie
It was the man himself who contacted the gendarmes on Wednesday, reporting that he had killed his children. Upon arrival, the officers discovered the bodies of the two boys in a utility vehicle parked near a bungalow, where the bodies of the two adults were found.
"The leading hypothesis at this stage of the investigation is that the father of the family, in the process of separation, caused the death of the three other people before turning the weapon on himself," the public prosecutor's office states. The man had never been convicted of crimes against persons.
The investigation is continuing, particularly regarding digital media seized and communications that may have taken place before or at the time of the events. Further analyses have been ordered to clarify the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
Source: France Info