Case 129
The Dupont de Ligonnès Family
*** Content Warning: child victims, animal cruelty ***
In early April 2011, several friends and relatives of Nante’s Dupont De Ligonnès family received an unexpected letter that read: “Hi everyone! Huge surprise: we have to leave urgently for the U.S due to a very particular set of circumstances that we will explain below. When you read this letter, we will no longer be in France and won’t be able to return for an as-yet-undetermined period of time.”
Concerned friends weren’t convinced. They checked the family’s home and found the cars still in the driveway, the shutters closed and a note on the letterbox instructing all mail to be returned to sender. Inside, everything appeared to be in order, but all was not as it seemed.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Erin Munro
Writing – Elsha McGill
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
SPECIAL THANKS:
A special thank you to Holly Evans Plumelet and Sylvain Plumelet for their assistance with this episode.
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
ARTICLES
Dupont de Ligonnès Family Murder from 2011 – Marilyn Z. Tomlins
Killing of Nantes: Key dates of the case – Le Parisien
Drama of Nantes: “Five methodical executions” – Le Figaro
The scenario of the killing of Nantes is emerging slowly – Libération
The detail of the father’s escape to the Var – Le Parisien
Drama of Nantes: dinner father-son on 4/4 – Le Figaro
Testimonies shed light on the last days of the Dupont de Ligonnès family – Liberation
Killing of Nantes: the troubling testimony of a friend of Thomas – Le Parisien
Nantes: an ex-girlfriend of one of the sons testifies – RTL
The mystical obsessions of Xavier de Ligonnes put to the Net – Libération
The shaved head of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès – L’Obs
Killing of Nantes: God and the 22 long rifle – L’Obs
The sister of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès told him to “go to the police” – 20 minutes
An expert paints the portrait of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès – Le Parisien
The “American friend” of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès – France Soir
The body of Colette Deromme discovered: A link with Dupont de Ligonnès? – France Soir
Case Ligonnès: “And if Xavier had been murdered …” – Le Journal de Dimanche
Father wanted for family murder: “I’m superior” – The Local,
Dupont de Ligonnès case – Stéphane Goldenstein: “In this case, there is no certainty” – Le Point
Killing of Nantes. A surfer discovers that the mother confided her uneasiness on the web – Ouest France
The house of Nantes Dupont Ligonnès has been sold – L’Obs
‘I am still alive’: Alleged fugitive French killer contacts media – France 24
De Ligonnès: un Nantais avait déjà photographié le “mystérieux” cliché – Maville
Dupont de Ligonnès: the house of horror – Paris March
“It’s me they took for Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès”: the monk tells the police operation – LCI
The Monk Mistaken for a Monster: the Most-Wanted Murderer in France – The Daily Beast
Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès: his friend Michel convinced “he did not stay in France” – Europe 1
Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, stalking on Facebook – Les Inrockuptibles
Study: family killers are usually men and fit one of four distinct profiles – Wired
Suspected fugitive accused of murdering family arrested in Glasgow – The Guardian
Man seized at Glasgow airport is not French fugitive, police confirm – The Guardian
Blame game erupts as Scottish police arrest innocent man over French murder – The Daily Record
WEBSITES
Dupont de Ligonnès murders and disappearance – Wikipedia