A mother suspected of fatally stabbing her three young children was found dead in Champéry, Switzerland, following an international manhunt that began after her children’s bodies were discovered in the family’s home.
French police launched the search for Deborah Pel, 45, after her children—13-year-old Noe, 11-year-old Victoria, and 2-year-old Jules—were found dead on November 12, 2024, by their father and grandparents upon returning to the family’s home in Taninges, France, a small town in the French Alps. Authorities reported that Pel, a schoolteacher, left a note before fleeing into the mountains, though the note’s contents remain undisclosed.
Approximately sixty French officers, assisted by helicopters and diving squads, conducted a large-scale search across the mountainous border region. Swiss authorities, aware of Pel’s dual French and Swiss citizenship, monitored her movements as she crossed into Switzerland. On Wednesday morning, Swiss officials reported finding Pel’s Audi SUV parked in Champéry, in the canton of Valais, with a body believed to be hers inside. The exact cause of her death remains under investigation.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Pel was the biological mother of Noe and Victoria, her two older children from a previous relationship. Her youngest child, Jules, was from her current partner, who had recently moved out of the family home. Community sources suggested that this separation may have affected her mental state.
Pel began her teaching career in Cluses, France, where her strict disciplinary methods quickly raised concerns among parents. According to reports, she required students to stand for minor infractions and, at times, threw objects, including pencil cases, at them. These actions led parents in Cluses to petition for her removal. Following the petition, Pel was transferred to a school in the nearby town of Marnaz, yet her disciplinary approach also continued to alarm parents there. A grandmother of one of Pel’s former students described her as unsuited to teaching and “unpleasant with children,” adding that she was “not at all cut out to be a teacher.”
The deaths of Pel’s three children have been classified as homicides. Autopsies confirmed that each child died from multiple stab wounds, with law enforcement indicating that each child was found in a separate room of the family home.
The Bonneville public prosecutor’s office continues to work with Swiss authorities to conclude the investigation into both the children’s deaths and Pel’s final movements as the small town mourns the devastating loss.