An American couple are among four people being questioned by police after a millionaire software developer and his partner were murdered in the Caribbean.
Daniel Langlois, 66, and Dominique Marchand, both from Quebec, were found dead Friday in a charred car near the eco-resort they owned in Dominica.
Langlois is known as the founder of Softimage, which created 3D animation software for films such as Jurassic Park, Men in Black and Star Wars.
The couple's neighbors, Jonathan Lehrer, 57, and his wife, who own and operate chocolate manufacturer Bois Collette Inc, are being questioned by police, according to Radio-Canada. They have not been charged with any crimes.
Langlois and Marchand, who ran the Coulibri Ridge Resort, were “ambushed” by a hit man who killed them and then set their car on fire, Dominica police said.
Langlois and Lehrer were involved in a dispute over the use of the Morne Rouge public road, which runs through the chocolatier's estate.
The battle reached the island's highest court, which ruled in 2019 that the road was public and could be used freely by Langlois' guests.
Daniel Langlois, 66, and his partner were found dead on Friday after going missing
Langlois ran an eco-resort on the Caribbean island with his partner Dominique Marchand
Dominica police said the intense fire in the car made identifying the bodies impossible
DailyMail.com has contacted Dominica Police for comment on this story.
In 2019 court documents seen by DailyMail.com, Langlois accused Lehrer of interfering with the unfettered and free use of public roads for at least four years.
On one occasion, Lehrer allegedly “blocked the road by placing boulders across the road, digging a ditch across the road, erecting metal pipes, and placing equipment and supplies on the road, thereby the plaintiffs and their employees were denied access to their property.”
According to a 2018 local report, a protest took place on the road after “a landowner from Bois Cutlette” blocked it.
Dominica News Online said: “The residents, most of whom are employees at Petite Coulibri, could not safely go to work and decided to protest against the landowner's action.”
A protest on the disputed road between the two estates can be seen in this 2019 image
The Daniel Langlois Foundation confirmed on Monday that Langlous and Blanchard died 'in tragic circumstances'.
Minister of National Security Rayburn Blackmor said: 'Crimes like this not only damage international relations, but this crime in particular has sent shockwaves across the island and left the workers, families and communities of the victims in mourning.'
Global Affairs Canada acknowledged the deaths of two Canadian citizens on the island but did not provide names.
“Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely, working with local authorities and providing consular assistance. Due to privacy concerns, no further information can be released,” the office said.
Dominica police said the intense fire in the car made identifying the bodies impossible, and they are relying on “circumstantial evidence to link them to the missing couple.”
Jacqueline Dupigny, a local resident of Dominica, told DailyMail.com that the Canadian couple were loved on the island and would be greatly missed.
She said, “The sweetest foreigners who set foot on this island. They were exemplary stewards of the land around them and treated their staff with great respect.
The entrepreneur sold his software company to Microsoft for $200 million in 1994 and subsequently founded the Daniel Langlois Foundation for the Art, Sciences and Technology.
In October 2022, the couple opened a luxury, off-the-grid resort, Coulibri Ridge, on 200 hectares of land on the island.
In October 2022, he and Marchand opened a luxury, off-the-grid resort, Coulibri Ridge, on 200 hectares of land on the island, located between Guadeloupe and Martinique.
They reportedly worked on the project for twenty years.
Langlois was beloved in Canada and Dominica, and many honored him on social media after reports of his death.
Canada's Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, wrote: “Daniel Langlois, a visionary in digital technologies and cinema, has left us. His legacy reflects his innovative spirit. My thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Travel writer Jim Byers wrote of They built the incredible Coulibri Ridge resort in Dominica and invited me for a tour and lunch in January. Such a pity.'
And fan Paul Chato added: “Daniel Langlois has been found dead in the Dominican Republic. For those who are 3D animators, Langlois pioneered SoftImage 3D, the most advanced character animation software of its time. Reboot was produced with it, just like the dinosaur in Jurassic Park. Sad.'
On November 3, the government of Dominica presented Langlois with a “Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to sustainable development and research projects,” as reported by Dominica News Online.
Langlois was a dual Canadian-Dominican citizen.