The Grégory case returns to court. Jacqueline Jacob, the great-aunt of little Grégory Villemin, requested, Wednesday May 27 before the investigating chamber of the Dijon Court of Appeal, the annulment of her indictment pronounced last October for “criminal conspiracy”. The octogenarian is suspected of having been one of the mysterious “crows” who harassed the Villemin family before and after the death of little Grégory, 4 years old, found drowned hand and foot bound on October 16, 1984 in Vologne. The decision will be made later. If she wins her case, it would be the fifth time that prosecutions have been canceled in this case.
To understand this new twist, we must go back to the origins of a case which has continued to thwart the certainties of justice for more than four decades.
1984-1985: from the disappearance of Grégory to the murder of Bernard Laroche
Grégory Villemin, 4 years old, disappears from the family home in Lépanges-sur-Vologne. Around 5 p.m., his mother Christine left him to play on the pile of sand in front of their house. The same evening, his body was discovered around 9:15 p.m. in the Vologne river, feet, hands and head bound, a cap on his face. The next day, the parents received an anonymous letter posted the day before at 5:15 p.m.: “I hope you die of grief, Chief. It’s not your money that can give you back your son. This is my revenge. Poor bastard. »
Four days after the murder, more than a hundred people close to the Villemins were summoned to rewrite the letter of demand. On November 5, 1984, Bernard Laroche, cousin of Jean-Marie Villemin, was charged on the basis of the testimony of his sister-in-law Murielle Bolle, then aged 15. The teenager claims that he kidnapped Grégory.
A few days later, Murielle retracted her statement, citing police pressure. Bernard Laroche was released on February 4, 1985. On March 29, 1985, convinced of Bernard Laroche’s guilt, Jean-Marie Villemin killed him with a gunshot. He will be sentenced to five years in prison for this act.
1985-1993: suspicion of Christine Villemin
On July 5, 1985, Christine Villemin was charged with murder on the basis of a graphological expertise estimating that her handwriting corresponded to that of the crow. Pregnant, she was incarcerated for five days then released after a favorable second opinion.
The investigation collapsed due to lack of material evidence. After eight years of proceedings, Christine Villemin obtained a resounding dismissal of the case in 1993. The courts even recognized in an unprecedented way a “total absence of charge” against her. In 2001, the Villemin couple obtained a conviction from the State for judicial dysfunction.
2009-2012: the disappointed hope of DNA
In 2009, a Lyon laboratory discovered the presence of two DNA traces on a stamp and a letter sent to the family. This letter was sent by the crow to Albert Villemin, Grégory’s grandfather, in July 1985, nine months after the discovery of the boy’s body. The letter stated: “The Villemin family I will kill you and the next one is Monique”, Grégory’s grandmother. DNA analyzes carried out on the crow’s letter did not yield any results.
At the request of Villemin parents in 2012, new assessments using more advanced methods were carried out on the cords, already analyzed for the first time. They reveal a “mixture of male DNA that is very partial and very difficult to exploit, which is not surprising, they have been manipulated a lot,” explained the attorney general.
Traces of DNA present on the child’s clothes were also examined. In vain. Examination of partial or complete DNA compared to the database of 280 people linked to the investigation did not lead to an identity other than that of the child and the investigator.
2017: a spectacular rebound
Thanks to new graphological analyses, the investigation is reopened in Dijon. On June 14, 2017, Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob, uncle and aunt of Jean-Marie Villemin, were indicted for “kidnapping and sequestration followed by death”. The investigators favor the thesis of a “collective basket”, several members of the family clan having been able to write the anonymous letters.
The suicide of Judge Lambert in July 2017 revives criticism of the initial errors of the investigation. In 2018, the Jacobs’ indictments were canceled for procedural defects.
In 2017, Jacqueline Jacob had already been indicted for “kidnapping and sequestration followed by death” and imprisoned for four days. This procedure was canceled in May 2018 due to formal defects.
2023-2026: the Jacqueline Jacob track
AT the beginning of the 2020s, judges ordered new DNA tests on seals kept since 1984, as well as phonetic comparisons of the crow’s calls. It is these results which led to the new summons of Jacqueline Jacob.
According to experts, Stylometry, a method of analyzing handwriting which studies spelling and turns of phrase, estimates that five crows threatened the Villemins but very strongly supports the hypothesis that Jacqueline Jacob is the author of the letter of October 16, 1984 claiming responsibility for the crime. An expertise conducted in 2021 by a Swiss specialist also attributes three other letters dating from 1983 to him, including one threatening the Villemins: “I will kill you. »Jacqueline Jacob’s lawyer, for his part, disputes the reliability of Stylometry. Maître Frédéric Berna argues that “more than twenty” crows were identified by the numerous contradictory expert opinions of the investigation, and denounces “a farce”.
After more than an hour and a half of interrogation at the Dijon Court of Appeal, Friday October 24, 2025, Jacqueline Jacob, aged 81, was indicted “for criminal association”, but left free. The Dijon judges are not expected to make their decision on the annulment request for several months. The lawyer for Grégory’s parents, François Saint-Pierre, warns: “If the ongoing assessments conclude that Ms. Jacob was involved, then she will be indicted for complicity in murder. » The Dijon judges, who examined the request for annulment this Wednesday, are not expected to render their decision for several months.
