A mum who had fallen down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories convinced her husband, sister and children to jump to their deaths from their seventh floor apartment.
Nasrine Feraoun, 41, her twin sister Narjisse, her husband Eric David, 40, and their eight-year-old daughter died as a result of the fall from the balcony of their apartment in tourist hotspot Montreux, in Switzerland.
Their son, who at the time was 15, fell into his coma but has since recovered from his injuries. According to investigators, he had no memory of the events on March 24, 2022.
Authorities said Nasrine had convinced her family that the world was not worth living in, due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war.
Forensic evidence revealed no sign of a struggle before their deaths, while autopsies showed no trace of drugs.
According to witnesses, none of the family members screamed after the fall from the balcony - which was attributed by police to the theory of collective suicide.
The mother of the family along with her sister, were deeply involved in survivalist and conspiracy theories, Swiss authorities said.
A year after the incident cost the lives of four of the family members, the case into the deaths would be closed, police in Montreux said.
Security footage from nearby the apartment, along with the coroner's report, supported detectives' suicide theory.
There was also a stepladder on the balcony, which was believed to have helped the family step over the railing, local news reports read.
The family was isolated, with the children schooled at home and the parents rarely going out.
Nasrine and Narjisse were said to be suspicious of the government and local authorities.
The family was convinced that the world was a hostile place - an idea strengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, investigators said.
A police search of the family's apartment revealed their collective suicide was carefully planned, based on evidence found in the home and on electronic devices.
The deaths came after two police officers arrived at the apartment early in the morning of March 24 to execute a warrant for the father in connection to the home schooling of his son - which he had received several letters about.
When the officers knocked on the door a voice asked who was there. When they answered, the apartment went quiet and the officers eventually left.
All five family members jumped from the balcony within the space of five minutes, shortly before 7am.
Police said that before or during the events, no witnesses heard the slightest noice coming from the apartment or its balcony,
"Technical investigations show no warning signs of such an act," they added, noting however that "since the start of the pandemic, the family was very interested in conspiracy and survivalist theories".
Neither the mother nor her eight-year-old daughter were registered with local authorities and neighbours said the family was quiet and kept to themselves.
According to France's Journal du Dimanche newspaper, the father, Eric David, grew up in a wealthy part of Marseille and attended the Ecole Polytechnique, one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Nasrine and Narjisse Feraoun had grown up in a family of five children and were educated at the elite Lycee Henri-IV in Paris.
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