Locals in a French town where a depressed mother allegedly stabbed her three children to death before being found dead herself have suggested that she may have acted out of revenge.
Deborah Pel, 45, allegedly killed her three children Jules, two, Noe, 11 and Victoria, 13, in their Alpine home in Taninges, southeastern France, on Tuesday, before driving to nearby Switzerland, where she was found dead in her Audi SUV.
Now a resident has claimed that Pel ‘wanted revenge by killing the children’ after ‘things weren’t going well with her partner’ and he moved out, according to Le Parisien.
The man, who fathered the youngest child, and Pel’s parents discovered the carnage in the family home, which lies ten miles from the Swiss border. The autopsies revealed the children were stabbed to death.
Pel’s daughter Victoria had said that ‘things weren’t going well for her mother, that she was depressed’, a classmate said. Pel reportedly left a letter behind, although its content is not known.
‘I didn’t know that Deborah was depressed. It’s already a tragedy for her to commit suicide, but she didn’t have to take her children with her,’ a neighbour told Le Parisien.
Deborah Pel (pictured), 45, allegedly killed her three children Jules, 2, Noe, 11 and Victoria, 13, in their home in Taninges, southeastern France , on Tuesday, before driving to nearby Switzerland, where she was found dead in her Audi SUV
The house where three children were found dead is pictured in Taninges, on November 13, 2024
A surveillance officer closes the road to the hamlet above Taninges, French Alps, where three children were found dead the day before, on November 13, 2024
The mother-of-three worked as a teacher and had recently transferred to a school in nearby Marnaz, reportedly following a petition from parents, who said she was too strict with the children.
While teaching at the Adelin-Malgrand school in Samoens, Pel allegedly made students stand when they ‘moved around too much’ and even ‘threw pencil cases in their faces’, according to a woman whose grandchildren were in Pel’s class.
‘She was not at all cut out to be a teacher. She was obnoxious with children,’ the grandmother told Le Parisien.
Pel’s children were found dead on Tuesday around 1pm, with a manhunt being launched for Pel.
Around 60 French police officers, supported by helicopters and diving squads, were searching for her.
Investigators who knew of Pel’s French and Swiss citizenship requested assistance from Swiss authorities in their search, who flagged her car as it passed into the country.
On Wednesday morning, Swiss authorities announced that Pel’s Audi SUV had been found parked in Champery, in the canton of Valais, with the body of a woman – believed to be Pel – inside. The cause of Pel’s death is not currently known.
The motive behind the tragic killings of the three children is not currently known.
Pel’s older children, Noe and Victoria, were from a previous relationship. She shared her youngest, Jules, with her current partner, who has not yet been publicly named.
Deborah Pel (pictured) fled the small town of Taninges after she allegedly stabbed the three children to death on Tuesday afternoon
This photograph shows the house where three children were found dead in Taninges, on November 13, 2024
On Wednesday morning, Swiss authorities announced that Pel’s Audi SUV had been found parked in Champery, in the canton of Valais, with the body of a woman – believed to be Pel – inside
The local community has been left in ruin following the killings.
The head teacher at the Jacques Brel middle school in Taninges where the two older children were enrolled, refused to comment on the matter, following a question from a local reporter.
But one of Victoria’s classmates told Le Parisien that teachers were crying and stopped their lessons. ‘Lots of students were crying in the corridors, it’s really sad,’ the student added.
Meanwhile, the school where Pel taught is making preparations to answer questions from students and their parents.
Le Dauphiné Libéré reported that a substitute teacher has already been appointed to take charge of the class Pel taught.
‘I never could have believed that she would do this. It’s unimaginable,’ an employee at the primary school where Pel worked told Le Parisien.
She added that Pel ‘was great with the children’ and was ‘very popular’ at the school.
Pel was reportedly heavily involved in the local community, most notably as a member of Samoens municipal harmony, and was treasurer of the town’s music school.
She was a keen flutist, and was given an award for her dedication to music in 2022, following 30 years of playing the flute.
French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance of street near the location where three children were found dead in Taninges, on November 12, 2024
French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance of a street, near the location where three children were found dead, in Taninges, eastern France, on November 12, 2024
The shocking Alps killing comes after two small children were last week found decapitated in a bathtub on the French island of Guadeloupe.
The bodies of the mutilated four-year-old and 13-month-old siblings were discovered by their father in their family home.
The children’s mother, the prime murder suspect, was found naked and wandering the streets by two police officers after the alarm was raised.
According to French outlet Le Parisien, the woman, who is believed to be in her forties, was speaking incoherently and was unable to explain the reasons for her actions when approached by police.
According to public prosecutor Caroline Talbo, the woman was initially taken into custody and then released due to her mental state, and has since been hospitalised.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support.
