Mother ‘who stabbed three children to death in France before going on the run is found dead in Switzerland’ reveals shocked grandparents have found children’s bodies in a house in Alpine

A mother who allegedly stabbed her three children to death at the family’s mountain home in France has reportedly been found dead in Switzerland.

Deborah Pel, a 45-year-old teacher, fled the town of Taninges after allegedly killing the three children aged two, 11 and 13 on Tuesday, leaving only a note.

French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré reported that the French-Swiss national was found dead in her car today after fleeing in her Audi SUV. The cause of her death is currently unknown.

Today it emerged that the children’s grandparents were the ones who discovered the massacre at the family’s home, which is located fifteen kilometers from the Swiss border. It was previously reported that her partner, who fathered the youngest child, had found the bodies.

Earlier, about sixty French police officers, supported by helicopters and diving teams, were searching for her. Investigators aware of her dual nationality asked for help in their search from Swiss authorities, who flagged her car as it entered the country today.

This photo shows the house where three children were found dead in Taninges on November 13, 2024

French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance to the street near the location where three children were found dead in Taninges on November 12, 2024

The motive behind the tragic murders is currently unknown.

Police are questioning relatives of the family. The investigation has been turned over to the Bonneville prosecutor’s office.

The mother was part of a mixed family with a man who was the father of the youngest victim.

He has not yet been publicly named.

Pel was a teacher at a school in nearby Marnaz, where she reportedly transferred from the Adelin-Malgrand school in Samoëns.

Local media reported that she was suffering from depression.

Le Dauphiné Libéré reports that she was transferred after a petition from parents, who said she was too strict with the children.

She was also reportedly deeply involved in the local community, particularly as a member of the Samoen Municipal Band, and was treasurer of the town’s music school.

Pel was an avid flutist and received an award for her dedication to music in 2022, after 30 years of playing the flute.

Pel was a teacher at a school in nearby Marnaz, where she reportedly transferred from the Adelin-Malgrand school in Samoëns

French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance to a street, near the location where three children were found dead, in Taninges, eastern France, on November 12, 2024

The house where the three children were found dead is pictured in Taninges, on November 13, 2024

The local community is in ruins after the murders.

The principal of Jacques Brel secondary school in Taninges, where the two older children were enrolled, declined to comment on the matter, following a question from a local reporter.

In the meantime, the school where Pel taught is preparing 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.

The shocking massacre in the Alps comes after two small children were found decapitated in a bathtub on the French island of Guadeloupe last week.

The bodies of the mutilated siblings, aged four and thirteen months, were discovered by their father in their family home.

The children’s mother, the main suspect in the murder, was found naked and wandering the streets by two police officers after the alarm was raised.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the woman, believed to be in her 40s, spoke incoherently and could not explain the reasons for her actions when approached by police.

According to District Attorney Caroline Talbo, the woman was initially taken into custody and then released due to her mental condition, and has been in the hospital since.