You’re listening to Mystery Still Unsolved. A podcast where we discuss unsolved mysteries both past and present. I’m your host Rachelle. Today, we will be discussing the House of Terror.

Hello, Hello and Welcome to the very first episode of Mystery Still Unsolved!! Ahh!! I’m so excited!! This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a loooong time because I love true crime. Any free time that I have is spent watching, listening or reading about it. I know it seems weird to a lot of people, but I’ve just always loved it. When I was in high school, my dream was to go to college and study the behavioral sciences so I could work for the FBI in their behavioral analysis unit. I did end up getting a degree in Behavioral Science- but I never applied to the FBI because… by the time I graduated I had a family and its super hard work! So yeah, I’ve been wanting to make a true crime show for a while, but there are so many out there and I wanted to create something different, something unlike anything out there. Anyways I’m totally geeking out that all the time I have spent involved in true crime is finally amounting to something other than just being a little bit creepy and I just want to say thank you for lending me your time. I’m so excited you’re here. I hope you enjoy this episode, and you keep coming back every week!

When I heard that Netflix would be releasing episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, I let out an audible gasp! Then I started the first episode, and that iconic music began to play. It brought me back to being a kid and staying up late at night scaring the crap out of myself. Eventually I would get so tired…. but I would be too afraid to go to bed so I’d just try to stay up if I could before I eventually just passed out on the couch, haha! That’s what I did for fun as a kid

And My husband can attest that although it’s been years, I’m still staying up late scaring the crap out of myself to this day.

I am so excited to use this platform to discuss unsolved mysteries and get to know all your fellow true crime lovers. Brian, my husband, doesn’t care for these shows in the way that I do so it will be nice to have a little community of people where we can talk about our theories, opinions, ideas, all the sketchy stuff…

Before I forget, I just want to share with you guys that since this is just a newborn baby podcast, I wanted to figure out a fun way for you guys to engage and spread the word. I have made an IG account @mysterystillunsolved where we can speak and discuss cases. I also wanted to thank you all for joining so I decided to do a little contest! Follow me on IG and enter a drawing I’ve posted for a chance to win a $25 gift card to amazon. Since we won’t have too many followers quite yet- you’ll probably have a high chance of winning…All you need to do is follow me and tag as many people as you can on that post. Every single post is a separate entry. So seriously tag everyone you know who loves true crime. Next week I’ll announce the winner and the winner will receive a $25 gift card to amazon.com.

So yeah, come hang with me @mysterystillunsolved on IG- I promise it will be fun!

I also wanted to make a few promises to you, the listeners today, the content of my podcast can be dark and a bit heavy so I will do my best to provide you with accurate information and make things light at times because I know it can be a lot. It really can be a lot to sit and listen to the details of the crimes and so forth.

I promise to never make light or disparage any victim.

Furthermore, I promise to refer to the victims by their names always. I know law enforcement is trained to say victim and the body, the remains etc. but I’m not a police officer. I want to remember that these are real people with real families. So, I’m going to use their names.

Before we begin, I would like to cite my sources for this episode. Obviously, a lot of my information came from the episode itself, but I also did some research of my own: I used articles from Oprah Mag, Marie Claire, France24.com & of course Wikipedia.

This episode is titled House of Terror.

It all begins in a charming, quiet neighborhood in Nantes, France. And pardon my French pronunciations- I took Spanish in high school and I am going to do my best to pronounce these towns and names but just know that my French might have a little bit of an “espanol” flair to it.

But anyway, Nantes, France.

A neighbor, later identified as Estelle Chapon, starts this episode off by telling us she remembers walking by the home one Tuesday morning. She mentions the oddity of the house being all closed up. As long as she had known the family that lived within the home, the shutters were always open. She said she was shocked when she saw them closed. She says it was at that very moment (when she sees the shutters closed) that she realized something is very wrong.

Ok… to be honest with you… I don’t know if I would notice something like that. Maybe I need to be paying more attention to my surroundings… haha idk
Would you notice something like that? And even if I did notice- I don’t think I’d automatically assume the worst.

Also, you’ve NEVER seen the shutters closed? Not even when they are on vacation? I mean I don’t want to say that she jumped to conclusions… because she ends up being absolutely right in thinking something was off… But I don’t know if I want someone in my neighborhood paying that much attention to my home that they’d notice something so small like that.

She continues to say that they seemed just like your typical normal family, but you never know what’s really happening behind closed doors.

Ah! So ominous and creepy…. But okay Estelle, you’ve got my full attention girl.

Then we are introduced to a journalist named, Anne-Sophie Martin. She is telling us about Nantes. She says it’s a large city
situated in the west of France. In the middle of the town there is a residential area where upper middle class
residents live.

We learn this is the neighborhood where the Terror House is located.

Then there is a montage of Anne-Sophie riding around on a motorcycle/moped/scooter… Idk what it is but it sounds like a lawn mower that’s about to break down… But you can tell that Anne-Sophie believes it’s a motorcycle. And she wants us to believe it’s a motorcycle…
And I’m wondering…. how hard do you think Anne Sophie pushed for that scene to be included in the special? It was probably written into the contract. She was probably like include this Moped scene or I’m outta here. I’m like calm down Anne-Sophie… we get it you think you’re a bad beh but can we get back to the story please?! Geez!

She says that even though horrible incidence happened in 2011, it still haunts everyone who lives in Nantes, France.

Now we’re back with Estelle and she is properly introduced. She was friends with the Agnes Dupont, the
wife and mother of the family, doing odd jobs for them like doing altercations of the kid’s clothing and ironing the husband’s shirts.

Now… *sigh* can we just stop for a minute, maybe I’m ratchet as hell but why is someone hiring anyone to iron shirts? Can the husband not iron his own damn shirts? It’s not that hard… I don’t know if they were doing her a favor… like maybe Estelle was looking for side hustles to make some extra cash, but already I’m picking up on my radar some douchie-ness regarding the husband who can’t iron his own damn shirts… maybe that’s just me… you guys can let me know if you think I’m reading into this too much. But that’s what I’m picking up on already.

Then they start showing pictures of the family- but just pictures of the mother and the kids and again my radar is going off about the dad. He can’t iron his shirts and he’s not in any of these photos where these people look happy. And you can tell from the pics that they’re actually happy not like a fake happy. It’s all in the eyes, people, and you could not see an ounce of fear or worry in their eyes which makes the story even that more tragic because you know that most likely none of them ever saw this coming.

which is yeah it just breaks my heart that much more for them.

The family consists of 4 children and the parents.
The dad is… get ready for this… “Count Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes…” and right then I’m like… *sigh* this guy, he’s a count everyone. Xavier would like everyone to know he’s a count… okay dude. The journalist says, He’s very good at communicating and fast to laugh at things blah blah blah… like you can tell she’s really trying hard to find even somewhat redeeming qualities of this guy but it’s a stretch… whatever I can already tell he’s garbage. Thank you, next!

The mother Agnes works at a catholic school. She is extremely religious, and she ensures the children attend mass every Sunday. I learned from another source that Xavier is not religious at all. Agnes is stunning- seriously so beautiful and she just seems like someone I’d want to know because she just seems very genuine to me.

They have 4 kids.
Arthur is 20. He’s very handsome. He is going to a catholic college.
Thomas is 18. He is shy. He studies music at a catholic college too.
Anne is 16. She is also gorgeous. She models in fact. She is very smart.
And then Anne-Sophie the journalist says something that kind of rubs me the wrong way she says,
“Anne was the best of all the children.” Anne- Sophie!
I don’t think you should be saying things like that Anne-Sophie. Oh my gosh! Even if you really feel that way… don’t say that out loud girlfriend.

Benoit the youngest is 13. He likes to play the drums.

They really do seem like such a sweet family. Well, except for the dad. He seems like a weirdo and a half. And maybe you think I’m jumping the gun a bit but…

I’m serious guys when you watch and listen and research true crime as much as I have- you just know. Like, before this episode I had never heard of this particular crime, but I’ve watched enough true crime that as soon as they showed a picture of Xavier and started rattling off his characteristics, I turned to Brian… oh Brian is my husband btw and I said, “He’s a family annihilator.” And my husband was like, “Do you really think so?” And I was like, “you’ll see.”

If anything, all my crazed obsession with this stuff… has taught me how to pick out a family annihilator from a mile away.

Okay, on screen text says Monday, April 11, 2011.

Estelle is again saying that she noticed something terribly off about the house. The shutters are closed… girl, we’ve established that. But there’s also a note on the mailbox/door that says STOP LEAVING MAIL HERE. THANK YOU. Seriously Estelle Why didn’t you lead with that Estelle… that’s weirder than dang shutters being shut- I mean seriously Estelle.

A few days pass and Estelle is keeping an eye on the home and it’s still the same. She’s worried about where they could be so on Wednesday April 13th… she calls the police to do the French version of what I’m assuming is like their version of a welfare check.

Now we meet the police chief of the time, Jean-Marc Bloc. He says the local police arrive to just make sure nothing out of the ordinary. He tells us that, the shutters are closed… the French are very worried about these closed shutters guys. I guess shutters are always open in France. So, if you go there make sure your never close them or you’ll really freak them out. and the door is locked. Now Jean-Marc says they call a locksmith to open the door….

Idk about you but at this point I thought that was very drastic for what is essentially a welfare check. Keep in mind Estelle only noticed the shutters were closed like 2-3 days ago.. I mean for all we know at this point the family is ill or on vacation or had a family emergency that called them out of town and I just think it’s a little drastic to be doing that already. But maybe that’s not usual protocol for French police.

They get in and everything is in its place except the bedsheets have been removed…. Huh…
But other than that, everything seems normal and it seems like the family has left voluntarily and there’s not much to do at this point.

However, Estelle mentions that only one car is missing, and it isn’t their large vehicle. It’s their smaller car which would have made it impossible for them to fit a family of 6 along with their 2 large dogs and any luggage they might have had with them. So, I agree with Estelle that’s weird. But then I’m still playing devil’s advocate and I’m like well maybe they took a taxi to the airport or a train station or something. I mean if you take a train in France in any direction you could end up in a completely different country by lunchtime so I’m still holding out hope even though I know I’m watching Unsolved Mysteries and I know the dad is shady AF.

Back track to April 9, 2011.
Some of the close family and friends receive letters supposedly from the Dupont Family.
This letter is from Xavier and it says that they moved to the US and the Americans have recruited Xavier to help them infiltrate a drug ring… and they have to change their identities and they won’t be able to see or talk to anyone for the foreseeable future. tick tock, it’s sketch o’ clock.

First off, I thought Xavier was just owned a business or whatever, why on earth would the Americans seek him out and recruit him to infiltrate a drug ring? I’m so confused.

Okay and guys this isn’t just a quick, “Hey we’re in the US we won’t see you for a while byeeee.”

This letter is 8. Pages. Long. That’s too long….

But you know I read that letter, because I’m not a quitter.
In a nutshell: The letter says that when the family went to Florida years ago, they were approached by a member of the DEA. The DEA knew he was meeting with French night club owners because of what his business offered, and they wanted his help to uncover a drug ring within the nightclubs. To protect his family’s safety, they returned to France not because of “dangerous vaccinations” the children were being forced to get to attend school but because the DEA had asked them too. His many business trips were due to him needing to travel back and forth to Florida. However, his cover had been compromised and that is why they needed to leave so abruptly. Then the letter has a laundry list of things that people who were sent the letters need to do. He mentions that in order to keep their government involvement secret even though he’s telling them the truth that they are in the US he had to tell the children’s schools and Agnes’ place of employment that they are going to Australia.

He asks his friends and family to spread the word on social media that they are in Australia and to just go along with it.

That’s the letter and I’m going to raise the BS Flag because I’m just not buying any of it.

Alright we meet Bruno De Stabenrath, a childhood friend of Xavier.
He says, the letter definitely sounds like Xavier wrote it.
He’s using vernacular and phrases that Xavier would use.
So, I do believe at this point that Xavier wrote the letter.
Cause when you really know someone, you know their writing. Like if I get a text from my mom and it isn’t separated into at least 8 texts and doesn’t have a thousand!!!! I know that’s not my mom. She dead.

Bruno still lives in Versailles. He has known Xavier since the 70s. They met when they were 16 and became best friends right away.

Bruno says that he and Xavier were nobles in that they were all descendants of French aristocrats. Apparently, Xavier wasn’t just any noble. His family was very prestigious. Xavier’s dad was a count. There had been musketeers in their family. The nobility traditions were very important to their family.

Xavier met Agnes in the 80s. He was 20 and Agnes was either 16 or 17. She was very traditional and conservative. They were very much in love, but Xavier craved adventure .and wanted to travel so he broke up with Agnes and traveled for a year. When he returned home, he discovers Agnes is pregnant. Obviously with someone else’s child. To Bruno’s surprise Xavier married Agnes and raised her son as his own. Bruno found what Xavier to do very courageous and admirable.

I’m assuming just because of the information we have been given about the family and their nobility status that this was quite a scandal.

They don’t really get into any repercussions or any negative discord within the family during this time but I’m assuming if they held very traditional and conservative values that this may have caused some tension um some friction in the family. Specifically, with Xavier’s parents. Again, I’m totally speculating and attempting to read in between the lines here but that’s what I would think based on the information they’ve provided.

Okay so back to the letters. Agnes family

reaches out to like a district Attorney and basically says this is very bizarre. That she would’ve never taken the children without giving them a heads up.

So, the police return to the home on April 15th for another welfare check to do an even more thorough investigation. This time though, they notice that all the pictures are missing from their frames. Idk if that was that way the first time they came or if they just didn’t notice the first time. It’s not clear from what the police chief is saying. Keep in mind, at this time we don’t know what’s really happened.

The Police believe the family took the photographs with them. But I have a theory that this was just another way to buy time for whoever did something to them- if you take out all the family pictures from the home, it will be harder for the police to get current photos out to the media. They don’t mention this or anything but that’s just my personal opinion.

Other than that, though, there’s nothing suspicious or terribly out of the ordinary again so the police leave. I mean what can they do… there’s just missing bed sheets and photos. And let’s not forget about those shutters guys… I’m surprised they didn’t call Interpol right then haha!

Agnes’ family isn’t satisfied with that answer, so they continue to push the police- and seriously good for them for sticking to their gut feeling – but the police return on the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th. Nothing unusual at all. Then they return for a 6th time, the last time, on April 21st.

During this visit, the lieutenant finds something very unusual under the terrace.
It’s sort of like a plank of wood covered with dirt.

Apparently, simultaneously while this lieutenant is discovering something weird under the family’s terrace, a press conference is being held on all the media channels asking for assistance in locating the family in the bizarre case of disappearances so they can just get in touch with them and see if they’re ok. While the press conference is being given, the DA holding the conference is called out to take a phone call. He later returns and abruptly ends the press conference no explanation why.

We now know that he had just been delivered the news that the family and dogs were all found buried underneath the terrace.

Even though I know I’m watching Unsolved Mysteries I always find myself holding out hope that maybe the family did just really want to start life somewhere new and they were never heard from again, but they are happy and healthy somewhere… but it’s usually not the case. Just awful.

They continue by saying, “They find them all wrapped in blankets and duvets, then tied up and put into plastic bags.” At this point, Brian’s like, “I guess you were wrong- it says they found them all.” Brian is always holding out hope that the dad/husband isn’t going to be a garbage person because he doesn’t want them to tarnish men for all the good ones out there. And at this point I’m thinking Brian’s right and my radar is broken. I’m thinking okay, so maybe it’s an outside party.

Then they discover upon opening the bags that placed upon each of the family members is a virgin Mary statue, a candle and a cross. Then I’m like okay… It has to be someone close to them who knew that Agnes and the kids were religious. This had to be someone who had a personal relationship with them.
Like Whom the hell killed this family?!

They’re really drawing it out here. But then they finally tell us that in the makeshift cemetery underneath the terrace they find Agnes, Arthur, Benoit and Anne and the two dogs. And in a separate grave was Thomas.

But one person is missing.
Where’s the dad?
Where’s Xavier?

He’s gone.
Why?
Cause he’s a freaking family annihilator.
I was right. which sucks
But Xavier sucks more.

Xavier’s friend Bruno still seems hopeful though, and I can’t blame him. It would be hard to think you were friends with someone who could’ve done something like this. But Bruno thinks maybe he’s been killed and hidden in the attic or in the floorboards or in another part of the garden.

But he isn’t there and he isn’t dead, and he is made the prime suspect in the case almost immediately.

Estelle. Detailed Oriented Estelle. She was right No wonder they paid her to iron their shirts with that level of detail, I mean c’mon.

A warrant is issued and sent to Interpol and now people are finally looking for him. But this guy has done such a thorough job of keeping people away (the letters, his cleaning up of the crime scene… cause keep in mind police went there 6 times and didn’t see ANYTHING unusual.) so now he has quite a head start on the police.

Now we meet the Dupont family’s attorney and he’s saying that it is impossible for Xavier to have done this because all his family knew that he had a bad back and he couldn’t have dug a hole underneath that terrace because of this bad back and that he was always talking about how much pain his back was in and that he could hardly bend blah blah blah bad back.

Maybe, Dupont Family Attorney, he had a bad back because, oh, I don’t know he’s has been slowly and discreetly digging a hole underneath his terrace for who knows how long?! Just a thought.

I’m sure digging a hole underneath your terrace would be uncomfortable and It would certainly take time. But it’s not impossible. And Xavier has had a lot of time considering how long it took for them to discover the family.
But the attorney is sticking to his story that it’s “basically impossible” for Xavier to have done this and it has to be someone else.

The journalist, Anne- Sophie says that Xavier had the characteristics of a father hen. He’s a very present dad who is very concerned and interested in their lives. Which is a nice way of saying he was a bit controlling, I think. Againe Anne-Sophie is grasping at straws in her attempt to compliment this guy, but you can tell she’s not even buying what she’s selling.

The autopsies come back. The Thomas, Anne, Benoit and Arthur were found to have sleeping pills in their system. So, they were put to sleep before the murders. Agnes didn’t have sleeping pills in her system but apparently, she had a sleep apnea machine which helped her achieve deep sleep.

It is discovered that Agnes’ sleep machine stops suddenly at 3am on April 4th.

April 4th guys! The family was found on April 21st. Remember Estelle noticed something on April 11th, so we thought he only has a 10-day head start but no… they were killed 17 days ago. Xavier could be anywhere by now.

So, Agnes was killed first. 3 of the 4 children were killed after the mother. All were shot in the head with a .22 rifle. But the neighbors say they didn’t hear anything.

But this execution of the family is even more unusual because there are no traces of blood anywhere. No blood spatter. Anywhere. Not in the bedrooms. Not in the living room. Not on any walls or floors.

They also don’t find DNA or fingerprints on any of the bodies.

How can that be?!?

So, there isn’t really any hard physical evidence to link Xavier to the crime other than his family is dead and he is missing.

Also… Xavier has no criminal history not even so much as a parking ticket but now he’s like this criminal mastermind? I’m seriously so confused.

Bruno is back and he is telling us that Xavier wouldn’t have ever done this, and I can see where he’s coming from, because the Dupont family name would’ve stopped with him and his sons. Because of his deeply rooted traditional values, Bruno claims Xavier would’ve never risked ending his lineage by killing his family- especially his boys.

The police chief is now telling us that while the Dupont’s had an appearance of being perfect, with the good jobs and the smart kids all enrolled

In private catholic schools and the beautiful house in the best neighborhood. There was trouble a-brewing under the surface.

They dig into Xavier and it’s discovered that he isn’t living the idyllic life he wants people to think. Apparently, the Dupont family had previously attempted to move to Florida, but it didn’t work out as planned so they were forced to return.

However instead of owning up to the fact that Xavier’s business had failed, they returned under the guise that Agnes didn’t want the children to get the required vaccinations the children would have needed to attend school in America. But really Xavier’s business had failed. And they lost their savings in that venture of moving internationally and then having to move back again.

From 2001-2011 Xavier is feeling more and more like a failure. They used up all their savings, he has loan sharks calling and coming to the home constantly. But meanwhile he’s trying to continue this façade of being a wealthy businessman.

He knew that soon there would be no more money and they’d have to leave this life that they had grown accustomed to. They don’t mention if Agnes or the children knew anything about this in the Netflix episode, So I don’t know at this point if this is something that was being kept from them or not.

Bruno says Xavier that he is vain and proud and would never want his wife and kids and extended family to know that he has no money. He would never want anyone to know about it.

Anne-Sophie, the journalist says that it was almost like he was on a mission to save his children and wife from disgrace. I learned from an article posted in Oprah Mag that Xavier liked to frequent online forums and had once written, “If we all die at once, then everything

would be over. We would no longer want for anything.”

I just don’t understand family annihilators. Like I get that they think that they are saving their family from shame, disappointment whatever… But I will just never understand how they got to that conclusion and why they think that killing them is a great solution to their problem. I think maybe a person just gets so desperate that they spiral into a tornado of terrible ideas and one just sticks and like a cancer it just spreads and grows and becomes so powerful that they just can’t shake it.

Three months before the murders, Xavier’s dad, Bernard-Hubert, who goes by Hubert, passes away of a heart attack.

I think Xavier thought maybe there would’ve been some sort of inheritance or something left to him of monetary value that could help of his money situation.

However, the money had been spent and there’s nothing left. Apparently while going through his father’s things, he was able to find a ring and a .22 long rifle.

Apparently, Hubert had been living in poverty for quite some time. He was living in an apartment and wasn’t living the life of splendor that he wanted. They think this hit Xavier really hard and he possibly thought- this is going to be my life turns out to be. And my children’s life. And that’s when the idea of saving his family by killing them came about.

Hubert’s neighbor returns to tell us that his last memory of Xavier was very…disturbing. He said that normally Xavier was very friendly and smiley but the last time he saw him, Xavier was going down the stairs, eyes staring straight ahead, stone faced and carrying a gun out of the apartment building.

He claims Xavier had quote “a dark demeaner.”

On February 2nd Xavier obtains a gun license.
From the moment he acquires the gun he goes to the shooting range and poses unusual questions to the instructors- particularly about silencers. Then on March 12th he buys a dang silencer.

RED FLAGS RED FLAGS ALL AROUND!!!!

So, in case you were wondering why Thomas (the 2nd oldest boy- but technically Xavier’s oldest because Arthur was adopted by Xavier) was not buried with the rest of his family and the dogs… we’re getting into that now.

Thomas wasn’t killed Early Monday Morning, at the same time as his mother and siblings. Thomas had to leave to go back to his university. On Tuesday Xavier calls his son and makes up a story about his mother being in a bicycle accident and now she’s in a coma and he needs to come right away because she might die.

Thomas of course returns home and the last they hear from him is when he sends a text message to a friend at Midnight on Tuesday. His friend responds back shortly after and never gets a text back from Thomas. Detectives believe this is most likely because Thomas had been drugged with a sleep aid and had fallen asleep.

I don’t know if they have evidence of hesitation with Thomas, but both the Police Chief and the Journalist mention that Xavier must have hesitated before killing Thomas because Thomas would have been the last living heir of the Dupont family.

So again, it’s been 3 weeks since Xavier and the family have been seen last and the police are searching everywhere for this guy. On April 22nd his car is found at a small hotel. Once they find the car, they are able to reconstruct what they believe happened.

From another source, I read that On April 2nd Xavier purchases several bags of quick lime from several different locations. At first, I was like, that’s a lot of freaking limes. Why is that even significant? But upon further review. QuickLime is not fruit. It is a chemical compound

that can be used to preserve bodies and stifle the stench of decomposition. But then I read in another report that quick lime hastens decomposition and stifles the odor… so I don’t know. If you know anything about quicklime and its effect on corpses… first, I’m very concerned and second let me know.

On Sunday April 4, Agnes, Arthur, Anne and Benoit are killed.
On Monday, April 5, Thomas is killed.

I learned from another source that Xavier calls Agnes
sick to work on Monday because she has “gastritis”. He also calls into Anne and Benoit’s school, the two youngest and says they are sick as well. Another source, two waiters from a high-end restaurant report waiting on Thomas and Xavier on the night of April 5th. They remember the two barely spoke and that Thomas mentioned not feeling well towards the end of the meal.

On Tuesday, April 6 Xavier is seen by a neighbor and it is believed he spent almost a week at the house- in my opinion plenty of time to do a deep clean, get rid of evidence, etc.

Also, on the evening of April 6th Arthur, the oldest son’s girlfriend, gets worried about him because she hasn’t heard from him in a few days, goes to the home and knocks on the front door. No one answers but she claims a light is on downstairs and she found it odd that the dogs did not bark when she knocked and rang the doorbell.

On April 7, one of Thomas’ classmates texts him to ask him where the heck he’s been. He gets a short response saying, “I won’t be coming for a bit, I’m really sick.” Then the next day the friend receives a message saying, “I lost my phone charger and my phones almost dead, but my dad’s going to buy me a new one.”

From another source, I learned that a receipt for a DIY store 3.5 hours away was uncovered and was dated March 23rd. The purchases made were large bin liners, concrete, digging tools and a box of adhesive plastic paving slabs. Uh… what were you working on there Xavier?! Some sort of sketchy as hell project that you need to drive 3.5 hours away from home to get supplies?!

Even more damning evidence is that the lease on their house had been terminated and the kid’s term at school had been paid off in full without Agnes’ knowledge. Hmm…

On April 10, Xavier leaves Nantes. Apparently, he was caught on a camera speeding somewhere between Nantes and La Rochelle (Rochelle. Fun fact guys. My mom was trying to find a name for me in a baby book and stumbled across the name Rochelle. She pronounced it Rachelle because of her accent and then corrected herself but my dad said, “No I actually like it better the other way.” And that’s how I got my name… moving on) and that’s how we know that he’s on the move at this time. His credit card statements shows that he stops for lunch because doing sketchy things can make you hungry and purchases
a room for the night in La Rochelle because doing sketchy things can make you tired too.

On April 11th, the catholic school where Anne and Benoit attend receive a letter saying that the kids would no longer be attending school there as Xavier had gotten a work opportunity in Australia.

Later that day it is reported that Xavier travels south west. Police believe he’s on the run, but he doesn’t seem to be rushing. He’s only traveling a hundred or two kilometers (which is 62-120 miles for us Americans) each day.

So, it’s not like he is acting like someone in any particular hurry. He’s just kind of meandering between these little French towns. He isn’t even trying to hide. He’s using his credit cards which I’m sure he knows can be traced. He’s withdrawing money from ATMS with surveillance cameras and isn’t even attempting to conceal his face. This doesn’t seem like a man running from anyone let alone the police and freaking Interpol!

Anne-Sophie mentions how interesting it is that he was so cautious and meticulous at the crime scene, but he seems to be very sloppy right now just leaving evidence, paper trails and appearing in surveillance videos left and right. And I agree with her completely. It’s like he doesn’t care, or he doesn’t think he will be caught. Granted, you know he’s probably watching the news every single night and they haven’t said anything because at this point no one even knows his family is dead for another 10 days! He must’ve thought he had committed the perfect crime.

Another thing worth mentioning is that 98% of family annihilators kill their families and then immediately commit suicide. One thing I’ve thought is that maybe after he murdered his family- he attempted to kill himself and he was too afraid to do it. So, he just thought, I’ll go on the run and when the police find me, I’ll just do a shoot-out with them and they can do what I’m not brave enough to do. They didn’t mention anything like that but it’s just a little theory I thought of.

It’s also interesting to know that all the little French towns where Xavier is visiting on this weird escape route, aren’t random, they actually hold personal significance to him and his family. He goes to the town where he and Agnes got married. Then to the town Where they had their children. Then to another town which was a vacation spot for them. It’s like he feels guilty and is going to all these places to feel close to them. Maybe… Another way to not miss them might have been to not kill them. Just saying.

The last known stop was on April 14th (My wedding anniversary yikes!) in (I’m not even going to pretend I know how to say this: Roquebrune-sur-Argens. I was doing okay and then they threw that name out of left field.)

He is seen on an ATM camera withdrawing 30 Euros. Again, not even trying to conceal his identity in anyway. It’s like he wants to be found. He spends the night in a hotel there.

Now, On April 15th, this is when they discover footage from a CCTV camera. The last known activity captured of him on camera. Xavier is seen leaving his vehicle (a Blue Citroen C5) with a big black bag – like a large duffle bag almost. They can see a long object in the bag- most likely the rifle. And investigators say that he looks at the camera purposefully and it’s almost as if he’s saying “goodbye” to them.

In the area that Xavier is seen walking towards, there is a mountain with cliffs and caves and rocks. And he just sort of disappears out of the screen.

Once this footage is discovered on April 22nd the investigators extensively search the canyon- at this point they think they will find a body because they believe he has gone out into the wilderness to commit suicide- as 98% of family annihilators do. They bring in cadaver dogs They bring in caving experts who end up search 40 caves.

They search for 2 months checking every nook and cranny within those mountains and they don’t find a single thing. No Gun. No big black bag. No Body. Nothing. Xavier has never used his credit card again and hasn’t been seen on CCTV after that.
Apparently in 2014 and 2015 two bodies were discovered in the mountain area where Xavier was last seen. However, upon assessment they do not believe that the remains are Xavier Dupont’s.

There is a theory, and Anne Sophie and Bruno believe this theory, that Xavier was aware that 98% of family annihilators commit suicide and he was relying on the police officers knowing about this, so Xavier was intentionally leading the investigators on this wild chase to buy himself more time when in fact he never planning on taking his own life. Bruno really surprises me here at the end. This whole time you think that he is on Xavier’s side and he really makes a complete 180 here. He believes Xavier brought them there to trick them into searching the entire mountain for him knowing that it would only buy him more time to get further and further away. So, Bruno thinks he did it now.

Bruno seems really angry now… he looks into the camera, almost as though he is peering into the lens and into the eyes of his best friend and asks:

“How could you do something like this? How could you strip your children of their future? How could you kill people?”

The police chief returns and says there is no clue as to where he could be.

Bruno and the journalist Anne-Sophie believe it would’ve been easy for Xavier to buy a cargo boat ticket as the ocean was only 30 kilometers (18 miles for us Americans) away from where his car was parked.

Xavier is a vanilla person. He is average height. Average weight. Brown hair brown eyes. No distinct physical characteristics.

The chief gives a subtle burn and even says, “there’s nothing special or remarkable about him. He would blend in just about anywhere. Dayyyyum Jean- Marc. Why you gotta be so salty?

But he does add that this has made it very difficult to find him saying, “Essentially He is nowhere and everywhere at the same time.”

As of 2019 Investigators have followed up on 900 tips all leading to a dead end.

This episode ends with Bruno now slamming his friend as he looks into the camera once again and asks: How can you look at yourself in the mirror while you’re brushing your teeth or whatever and live with what you have done?

Bruno, I think this is what we all want to know.

That’s the end of the Netflix episode House of Terror.

Before we end,

I wanted to share some other theories that are out there in the universe.

So, a lot of Xavier’s and Agnes’ family don’t believe that the Dupont family are dead at all. Apparently, no one was ever allowed to identify any of the bodies. The DNA of the people found under the terrace are all related, but the DNA extracted from Agnes’ does not match any of her surviving family members. Supposedly.

Also, many of them claim that the heights and weights of the bodies recovered do not match their family members and are way off. The bodies were cremated after the funeral and therefore cannot be exhumed for further testing.

The family is also weary to the fact that the coroner was unable to pin down an exact date of the murder, the official report states that the family could have been killed anywhere between April 3- April 13th. Which I mean, that’s 10 days. That’s a pretty huge disparity. So that does seem pretty off.

But if you remember he did purchase 4 bags of quick lime the day before the murder which can be used to delay or speed up the decomposition of the bodies- we don’t freaking know cause all the sites I found were contradictory. I’m assuming it hastens it cause it’s quick lime so it speeds things up… IDK. If you’re a serial killer send me a message over our IG account @mysterystillunsolved. Don’t come to my house. Just send me a message through the internet thank you.

Xavier’s sister claims she received an email from Xavier a few years ago explaining that no matter what they are hearing on the news- that he did not kill his family and that they are all safe and using fake identities in America somewhere.

A journalist claims she received a photograph in the mail in July of 2015. The photograph supposedly shows 2 of the Dupont children: Arthur the oldest and Benoit the youngest sitting at a kitchen table. The back of the picture says, “I am still alive… From then until this hour.”

Xavier… if this is you- why you gotta be so cryptic

and weird AF. Just write. Doing good- Don’t worry about us. Why does it gotta sound like Edgar Allen Poe wrote it?!

A few interesting things not mentioned in the episode is that Agnes apparently also frequented online forums and she wrote “I am unhappy in my marriage and I am afraid and anxious of my old-fashioned husband.” She also Wrote quote, “He thinks the father is the head, he gives an order, and we must execute it without seeing to question or understand, period.” She also mentioned that she felt terribly alone and was very worried about her family’s current money troubles. So, in this theory Agnes is aware of their current financial situation.

There are also rumors of a mistress in Paris. Rumors that Xavier used his wife’s own jewelry to fund his escape as it was allegedly missing from the family’s home.

I don’t know if I agree with any of these theories, but I thought I’d share them with you anyway. So, you can make an informed decision about what you think might have happened.

This is a tough case, but my theory is that he did do it. I don’t think there’s any way he didn’t do it. He definitely did it. The only question I have is how was he able to do it without leaving any evidence whatsoever? I don’t think he killed himself in those mountains like he tried to make it seem. I do think he was purposefully leading the investigators on. I think if he had committed suicide, they would’ve found something by now whether it be remains or at least the black bag would’ve turned up. I think he paid for a ticket in cash for either a train or a boat and he is off somewhere hiding in plain sight in a foreign country. He’s probably married with kids (most likely another son to carry on his family’s lineage). But I believe that justice is always served. Whether now or later.

Guys this happened 9 years ago. No matter what happened, if they’re safe in America. If they’re deceased. If Xavier did it or didn’t do it… their surviving relatives and friends deserve answers.

It is long overdue. Long overdue. If you happen to be listening and you have any information at all regarding this matter, Bonjour French People, but in all seriousness please, please go to unsolved.com and leave an anonymous tip. It’s anonymous- no one will know it was you!

To this day, obviously, because this Netflix episode was just released Xavier has not been found and he is still wanted so he can be questioned about the deaths of Agnes, Arthur, Thomas, Anne and Benoit Depont de Ligonnes. I am going to continue to keep an eye on the development of this case and will keep you guys updated with any and all new information.

I made a post on IG @mysterystillunsolved regarding this mystery. If you have any theories you’d like to share. I’d love to hear them. Do you think he did it? Do you think he’s being framed? Do you think there’s any possibility they could be alive? Go to my post and tell me what you think- I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you liked this episode, please follow me on IG @mysterystillunsolved and share with your true crime loving friends and family.

Furthermore, I want to take a minute to thank my kids for being so quiet while I was recording this. I know it’s hard for a 5 and 1 year old to be quiet for this amount of time- and I know how much harder it is as a parent to keep a 5 and 1 year old quiet for this long so… thanks Brian for doing that and supporting me in this new venture.

Thanks for hanging out with me.
Join me next Tuesday for another episode of Mystery Still Unsolved.