Michel Peiry

Serial Killer

Known, Admitted and Attributed Victims

• Sylvestre – September 1, 1981 – United States: Peiry said that he encountered a young Canadian identified only as Sylvestre while traveling in the United States. Sylvestre disappeared and his body was never conclusively recovered. Peiry confessed to killing him, retracted the confession and later again accepted responsibility. The precise location of the alleged murder has not been consistently documented.
• Frédéric – February 4, 1984 – Annecy region, Haute-Savoie, France: Frédéric was a young man killed after encountering Peiry in southeastern France. Peiry admitted responsibility for the murder. Public accounts generally identify February 4, 1984, as the date of the killing, although relatively few personal details about Frédéric have been released.
• Anne-Laure or Anne-Fleur – June 1985 – Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Camargue, France: Peiry claimed that he killed a young woman in southern France. He was unable to provide a consistent name, referring to her as either Anne-Laure or Anne-Fleur. She is believed to have been his only female victim. No exact day of death has been reliably established, and her identity and Peiry’s account were never fully verified.
• Cédric – May 7, 1986 – Valais, Switzerland: Cédric was a young Swiss victim whose remains were discovered in an isolated area of Valais, reported in different accounts as Albinen or the Arbignon area. His body had been burned, consistent with Peiry’s efforts to conceal evidence. May 7, 1986, is generally recorded as the date of the murder.
• Silvio – July 1986 – Rijeka region, former Yugoslavia, now Croatia: Peiry confessed to killing a young man named Silvio while traveling near Rijeka. He later retracted the confession. No exact date of death has been publicly confirmed, and the absence of conclusive physical evidence left the case uncertain.
• Fabio Vanetti – Night of August 14–15, 1986 – Canton of Ticino, Switzerland: Fabio Vanetti, sometimes identified in reports only as Fabio V., was a young hitchhiker encountered by Peiry in southern Switzerland. Peiry took him to an isolated location, assaulted him and killed him. The crime occurred during the night spanning August 14 and August 15, 1986. The case became one of the murders directly associated with Peiry’s established pattern.
• Vincent Puippe – March 1987 – Orsières, Valais, Switzerland: Vincent Puippe’s burned body was found in a gravel pit near Orsières. He had been sexually assaulted and murdered. The discovery occurred in March 1987, but available accounts do not establish a reliable exact date of death. The burning of his remains closely matched Peiry’s known method of attempting to eliminate evidence.
• Unidentified young Frenchman – April 16, 1987 – Como region, Italy: Peiry confessed to murdering a young French man near Como in northern Italy. He later withdrew the confession. The victim’s full identity has not been consistently published, and the killing was not supported by the same degree of evidence as the murders prosecuted in Switzerland.

Surviving Victims

• Yves Ath – November 1986 – Neuchâtel or La Chaux-de-Fonds region, Switzerland: Yves Ath survived an attack by Peiry after being restrained, sexually assaulted and nearly killed. His survival provided evidence that Peiry did not always succeed in murdering those he attacked. The exact day of the assault has not been reliably published.
• Thomas – April 24, 1987 – Near Sottens, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland: Thomas was a 16-year-old hitchhiker traveling from Lausanne toward his family’s home. Peiry offered him a ride and drove through the Echallens and Moudon areas before attacking him. Thomas was beaten, restrained and subjected to sexual violence. Peiry left him in or near a river, apparently believing he was dead. Thomas regained consciousness, walked approximately two kilometers and reached Sottens, where he received assistance. His description of Peiry, the vehicle and the circumstances of the attack was crucial to the investigation.

The Investigation

Confessions and Disputed Cases

Trial and Conviction

Imprisonment and Requests for Release

Legacy of the Case