Mystery in the French Alps: The on-going case of the al-Hilli family murders [True Crime]

On a sunny Wednesday in September 2012, the al-Hilli family – Saad, his wife Ikbal, their two young daughters Zainab (7) and Zeena (4) and Ikbal’s mother, Suhaila – left their campsite on the edge of Lake Annecy to take a forest walk in the nearby trails, surrounding the French Alps. The family was on vacation in France from their home in Surrey, England. They drove up a rough road and stopped – or were stopped – at a lay-by in the road. What happened next is shrouded in mystery.

A British cyclist with a home in the area, Brett Martin, would happen upon the al-Hilli’s maroon BMW only moments after a brutal gun attack that left four dead. He took steps to immediately assist the injured Zainab and seek further help. The youngest daughter, Zeena, was found safe inside the car.

A French cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, that had passed Mr Martin on the road only minutes earlier was also found deceased in the lay-by. Did he happen upon the scene or was he in the wrong place at the wrong time?

The investigation into what happened to the four victims has taken some bizarre turns – from family inheritance disputes and secret ex-husbands to accusations of hiding Saddam Hussein’s fortune. The investigation is still active and led to the arrest of an unknown man – for the second time – in January 2022.

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