Following the investigation into the murder of young Larissa, four suspects were arrested. The city of Ambositra immediately erupted in violence. The discovery of the lifeless body of an 11-year-old girl, already decomposing, at the bottom of a manure pit, deeply saddened and outraged the population. The suspects arrested in this case were placed in custody, but the anger of residents did not subside and resulted in the looting and burning of the house of one of the presumed perpetrators. The unrest continued until late the night before last. Law enforcement and local authorities worked to restore calm.
Little Larissa was supposed to celebrate her eleventh birthday this Monday. She lost her life under particularly violent circumstances. As a reminder, Larissa disappeared on Thursday, April 30. Her parents received threats accompanied by a demand for a substantial ransom in exchange for her release. Of the 30 million ariary demanded, 4 million had been paid. Despite this, police managed to arrest four suspects. The case was referred to justice and the presumed perpetrators placed in preventive detention. The investigation had not yet been closed at that time, as the child had still not been found.
"During the investigation, the first accused reiterated the confessions he had already made to the National Police, but he had not revealed where the child was. It was during the investigation conducted by the gendarmerie that the suspects confessed and indicated the location where the child's body had been placed. It was indeed found there, with her clothes and other personal effects," explained an official from the Ambositra court.
It was in Fasimena, in the Ambositra district, that the remains were discovered Wednesday late afternoon. The body, already in an advanced state of decomposition when extracted from the pit, could only be identified through her clothes and other personal effects.
The news spread rapidly, causing great emotion. The remains were brought by the family through the streets of Ambositra on Thursday. Many residents joined the procession. During the day, the situation escalated. A crowd headed toward the house of one of the suspects, looted it, and then set it on fire. That evening, they attacked the shop belonging to this same person, also looted. Law enforcement had to use tear gas to disperse the protesters.
To preserve public order and prevent further incidents, authorities decided to transfer the four suspects to the prisons of Antanimora and Tsiafahy the next day, on official instruction. The National Gendarmerie, National Police, and prison administration jointly ensured their transfer.