Murder of Grégory Villemin
| Murder of Grégory Villemin | |
|---|---|
Victim Grégory Villemin | |
| Location | Near Docelles, Vosges, France |
| Date | 16 October 1984 |
Attack type | kidnapping and child murder by drowning |
| Victim | Grégory Villemin, aged 4 |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
| Arrests | 5 |
| Motive | Revenge against Grégory's father for unclear reasons |
| Charges | Christine Villemin: Murder (dropped due to lack of evidence) |
| Litigation | Defamation lawsuit between two individuals involved in the case. |
Grégory Villemin (24 August 1980 – 16 October 1984) was a French boy from Lépanges-sur-Vologne, Vosges, who was abducted from his home and murdered at the age of four. His body was found four kilometres (2.5 mi) away in the River Vologne near Docelles. The case became known as the Grégory Case (French: l'Affaire Grégory) and for decades has received public interest and media coverage in France. The murder remains unsolved.
It is considered exceptional in French judicial history due to its longevity, its context, the victim’s profile, the enigmatic nature of the motive and circumstances of the crime, as well as the numerous twists and turns it has taken, including the 1985 murder of Bernard Laroche, one of the suspects, by little Grégory’s father, and the 2017 suicide of Jean-Michel Lambert, the first investigating judge, who had been heavily criticized for his handling of the case.