On May 27, 1998, authorities accuseed the Lefrancs -- a clan of inbreds in northern France -- of murdering several babies, the offspring of an incestuous relationship between the daughter and her three brothers. Earth moving equipment have been brought in to excavate the garden of their squalid home in the village of Illies, near Lille, in northern France, where authorities expect to find the remains of the murdered babies.
Police were called in last month by a doctor who spotted that Paul Lefranc, 76, the ailing father, had injuries which suggested continued mistreatment. It emerged that he had been "enslaved" by the rest of his family, who made him to sleep in a rabbit hutch outside and eat from a dog-bowl. The household dog had been trained to attack him, and his wife and children beat and kicked him regularly.
Under arrest and interrogation, the family gave more details of their way of life. The daughter, 26, held in custody for suspected torture of her father, claimed that she had sexual relations with her brothers and repeatedly became pregnant. The babies, it is alleged, were buried in the garden.