House of Terror

Where is the man who disappeared after the bodies of his wife and four children were found buried under their backyard porch?

CASE DETAILS

Xavier with his family

Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes hails from an aristocratic French family with an impressive lineage. Xavier and his wife, Anges Hodanger, have four children: Arthur, Thomas, Anne, and Benoit. They live in an upscale townhouse in the center of Nantes, where their children attend private schools and the family goes to church together. On the surface, they seem happy. Yet despite his privileged upbringing, Xavier has had little success in his own professional life. Few people are aware that he is struggling financially. Xavier manages to maintain an appearance of wealth by borrowing money from family and friends, to make ends meet–until his ruse starts to unravel.

Anne-Sophie Martin

Journalist Anne-Sophie Martin retraces Xavier’s last movements in 2011, suggesting that he meticulously planned the murders of his family. After inheriting a .22 rifle from his father, Xavier purchases bullets and a silencer. He practices at a gun range multiple times between March 26th and April 1st. He also buys large bin liners, adhesive plastic paving slabs, cement, a shovel, and a hoe, plus four bags of lime, all at different hardware shops around Nantes.

Xavier purchases bullets and a silencer

On Sunday, April 3rd the couple and three of their children go to dinner and the movies. At 10:37pm, Xavier leaves an eerie message on his sister, Christine’s, voicemail that says he is “going to put the kids to sleep.” The next day, Arthur, Anne, and Benoit are absent from school and Agnes doesn’t show up for work. Xavier calls to say everyone is ill and will be staying home for a few days. The next day, Xavier calls Thomas at his boarding school to say his mother has been in an accident and he should return home immediately. Xavier picks up Thomas at the train station, and Thomas is never seen again.

Police find corpses under the back porch

Days later, Xavier the immediate family and close friends receive a letter from Xavier saying that he has been working covertly for the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the entire family has relocated to the United States, as part of the Federal Witness Protection Program. He says they will be out of contact for a few years. Xavier has closed all bank accounts, terminated the lease on their house, and sent final payments to all the children’s schools. He leaves instructions about how to dispose of the few remaining household items and cars.

Xavier has not been found

After a few days, neighbors grow suspicious of the shuttered house and call the police, requesting a welfare check. After several futile visits, one police officer notices wet cement under the back porch. When they dig, they uncover the corpses of the five family members and their two dogs, buried under a fresh slab of cement. They have all been shot with a .22 rifle. Xavier is nowhere to be found so an international warrant is issued for his arrest.

Reports start to come in about Xavier’s whereabouts. Authorities learn that on April 12th he stayed at a 5-star resort in Toulouse. On April 14th he was caught on CCTV withdrawing money from an ATM, and on April 15th he was last seen by a hotel security camera, walking toward the mountains. Despite several alleged sightings over the past few years, Xavier has not been seen or heard from ever again. Did he commit suicide in the mountains? Authorities searched the area for weeks and found no sign of Xavier. Or is he a fugitive on the run? Many believe this is the most likely theory.

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42 Comments

  1. Rebeka

    Have any of you thought that this man looks like Paolo Maccarini? The Surgeon who literally killed people and got away with it?

    Reply

  2. Veronika

    Hello,
    I just wached the case of Xavier Dupont de Ligonesse. As I know still hasn’t been found him. I had a feelings, I started to search after his name with minimal modification on Facebook. I found a man who really remind of him. Please see the link. It would be great if it would be helpful.
    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073936976841 his name is Javier Ligone

    Reply

    • Donna

      I just looked at the picture on Facebook. It really does look like him. Good job! Hopefully someone other than me sees your post.

      Reply

    • Verónica

      Omg you’re so right he look just like him. I also went on Facebook and type Javier ligoni. There’s no way is not him. Hope they can investigate. I remember people like his best friend said he would probably be in Latin county, and he lives in Panama.

      Reply

    • Sam

      I looked at that image and unfortunately it is just a copy of a photo he had with his wife and somebody added an ‘aged’ effect on to it. Its a shame how many people make all these fake sites for these things whoever does this is also depraved and sick to be playing around with a murder case, if he is out there somwhere alive he is smart enough to not have social media or would at least have a completely different name change not to mention some change to his face. He could have shaved his head and grown a beard for all we know, to do what he did to that poor family and get away with it the man isn’t an idiot I just hope he can be bought to justice one day because social media or not it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide away in modern society. If he is alive somebody somewhere knows where he is.

      Reply

      • Sabá

        The image looks a little aged with some tool or filter. It’s a great prank since he had requested to be relocated to Florida, which had been denied.

        Reply

  3. QUESTIONS

    Why XAVIER DUPONT is not in EUROPOL most wanted? Maybe is real that he and his family, they live in USA ( protection program )… His wife and kids , are really died or police found another persons who looks like his family? Maybe XAVIER DUPONT is still alive (alone), his family died in home by drug dillers? And Xavier Dupont could go in USA (protection program ). There are too many questions??? What is the opinion of USA, FBI, CIA ? WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THIS CASE???

    Reply

  4. Xav 7533

    Je crois qu’il est en Gréce, voir en Créte…..

    Reply

  5. Alejandra

    Este es el caso que más me impactó, no entiendo cómo pudo hacer algo así. En todo caso, si estaba tan ahorcado con sus deudas y preocupado por su prestigio ¿por qué no se suicidó él en vez de matar a toda su familia y sobre todo los hijos con una vida por delante?

    Reply

  6. Techer johnny

    Je l’ai vue plusieurs fois à l’île de la Réunion j’en suis sûr à 100%

    Reply

  7. Harry MacConnell

    I question how Xavier managed to dig the graves for family and dogs without going unnoticed. Even in the darkness of night, the constant sound of spade hitting the ground would have surely woke someone or disturbed nearby dog etc. I questioned also how in his last night whether Thomas questioned where his siblings and family dogs were? Visiting their mum in hospital? Why would the dogs have been taken.

    I firmly believe he is still alive and most likely in South America although Xavier was very clever in deceiving the investigators so perhaps he ventured in the opposite direction in a country surrounding France. Perhaps Germany, Croatia, Austria…

    Reply

    • Flo

      Quite good questions, it also strikes me as a total mystery. In addition: how can one single person clean out a complete household within few days?
      How can he remove any traces of blood or DNA when shooting with a gun?!?
      According to the (few) facts that are known to the public / what I have learned from official sources, this is all very, very strange

      Reply

  8. Priya

    Trace his phone history and search history …and search that home again washroom , backyard …

    Reply

  9. Michelle

    Hola, creo haber conocido a una persona que comparte muchas similitudes con Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes. ¿Cómo puedo contactarme directamente con la página?

    Reply

  10. José

    Xavier, aparece ya coño. Que ya la has liado mucho tío.

    Reply

  11. Célia

    Xavier had a mistress, she was suing him and arguing for money. Xavier belt what we call a pyramid, which means that he borrow money to erase his debts, for example who borrow to your mother to give the money that you had already borrow previously to your brother. But he did that with so many people, family, friends and his mistress. In 2011, he borrow to her 50 000 euros , she was an “boss women”, he told her that it was for a business, so she believe him. With this money, he erase some of his debt towards family and friends. But also use the money for his personal interest (buying some expensive things). He had no money left very fast. He didn’t expect her mistress to ask this money very fast because she is rich, so he believe 50 000 was nothing for her. He was wrong, she take’s lawyer and sue him. For me it was the fateful day. He realize it was done and all of his manoeuvres couldn’t save him. He couldn’t handle the dishonor so he killed every one and left. For me, he is alive but I’m not sure he can be found because he can have done chirurgical operations and such things. I wish his crimes will not be forgotten so he can pay for all the bad. I am from France by the way, in law school and I have studied the case for my personal interest because it is for me sadique person with a big intelligence, but not to do good things. C

    Reply

  12. MS

    This case is not well reported in the series. I saw another French documentary much more detailed. Xavier had a mistress, his wife complained to her friend that Xavier was aggressive towards her. Xavier’s mother was head of certain religious group…

    Reply

  13. kelly

    this case is interesting to me. was there any place not in france that could have had sentimental value to him, or he wanted to go there badly for a bit?

    Reply

  14. Ana P Enamorado

    There is like this creepy account of him, looks so normal like nothing is out of place ya’ll should go and see his IG profile xavier_dupont_de_ligonnes

    Reply

  15. Maaike

    Yeah, he got arrested last year. Finally I’d say!!

    Reply

    • Unsolved Mysteries Post author

      Hi Maaike – unfortunately, the gentleman arrested in 2019 in Scotland did not turn out to be Xavier. Someone, somewhere knows the truth … where is Xavier?

      Reply

  16. Rafa

    I dont know if this is real information but I read in websites that he has been found, not long ago, in Scotland, in the airport of Glasgow. Again, it might be false but there it is.

    Reply

  17. Henya

    I was freaked out, imagine he is still alive. . . what if he is you neighbor what if you work for him???

    Reply

  18. Luis franco

    Se les realizó ADN a los restos de sus hijos y esposa???

    Reply

  19. Luis franco

    Se les hizo adn a los restos de sus hijos y esposa

    Reply

  20. PeterLightwood

    A mi tmb, yo tmb soy de ahí y tmb se me hace conocido.

    Reply

  21. Dan

    No English when I watched

    Reply

  22. Andres

    Hola soy de argentina. Hay recompensa por información?

    Reply

    • Unsolved Mysteries Post author

      Hola Andres – No hay una recompensa de la que tengamos conocimiento en este momento. Si tiene alguna información sobre este caso, háganoslo saber de inmediato. unsolved.com/tips

      Reply

  23. Shelby

    Seems like his lawyer might know more about his whereabouts?

    Reply

  24. Alex

    I believe I have seen him in the US at a French language immersion program in August 2019 (it heavily recruits native speakers, and I know Xavier also speaks English well). It would be a good position for someone living abroad and avoiding authorities, since he could put language skills to work, live in a remote area with few cameras or police, and possibly receive room and board.

    Reply

  25. JM

    Hola Romina tendria alrededor de 59 años. Tienes fotos?

    Reply

  26. Romina

    Cuántos años tendría xavier hoy ? Soy de argentina y se me hace muy conocido el

    Reply