The girl was found under a heap of corpses in a British-registered BMW.
It was reported that the girl had been hiding there for eight hours silently before she was found. The dead are believed to be the girl’s mother, father and grandmother.
Police suspect an armed gang suspected to be involved in carjackings.
“When the investigators got into the car they discovered a little girl, who was frozen still and uninjured,” said Eric Maillaud, the Annecy prosecutor.
“She could not tell the difference between the good guys and bad guys. She spontaneously began to smile and speak in English when the policeman took her in his arms and pulled her out of the car,” explained Maillaud.
“The little girl spoke English. She had heard the noises, the cries but she couldn’t say more, she is only four years old.”
A seven-year-old-girl was also found in a critical condition on the road nearby the BMW.
A French male cyclist, in his 40s, was also found dead near the car. It’s thought he had died after suffering gunshot wounds. The man is believed to have had three children.
A source explained The Telegraph: “The crime scene was kept frozen until forensics experts arrived from Paris during the night.
“This meant that the dead bodies had to remain in the place where they fell. The little girl was well hidden under her mother’s legs, and clearly was in a state of shock.”
The mayor of Chevaline, Didier Berthollet, said “the victims were not from the village”.
He continued: “We have never seen such horror on our doorsteps before. The police have interviewed everyone in the village hoping to find a witness. There are only 70 homes, so it didn’t take them long.”
It’s believed there is a witness currently being questioned by the police.
