The innocent victim of a vengeance accomplished. On October 16, 1984, at 9:15 p.m., the Vosges were shaken by a most macabre discovery: the lifeless body of a child was found in the freezing waters of the Vologne river.

It is the corpse of Grégory Villemin, four years old, whose face is partially covered by his striped woolen cap. A few hours earlier, the boy disappeared from the family home a few kilometers away, in the village of Lépanges-sur-Vologne.

Nearly 38 years after the events, the mystery remains intact. Who took little Grégory away from his parents? Who killed him before throwing him in the water? What did the child die of, exactly?

After decades of judicial wandering, unsuccessful indictments and contradictory testimonies, the investigation is still ongoing.

According to the investigators, the track of the family conspiracy motivated by jealousy towards the social success of the parents of the victim is privileged.

If the anniversary of the date of the death of Grégory Villemin is fast approaching, this Wednesday August 24, 2022 also corresponds to an important date: the victim should have celebrated his 42nd candle today. Indeed, the child was born on August 24, 1980 in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, in the Vosges.

Grégory’s parents, Jean-Marie and Christine Villemin, now live in the Paris region where they raised their three other children: Julien, Emelyne and Simon. The siblings grew up with photos of their late older brother on display in the house, ignoring nothing of the family history.