New details revealed This is how dubious the investigation into the tragedy in Crans-Montana really is
After the devastating fire in Crans-Montana VS, investigation files raise questions about the work of the Valais law enforcement authorities - from delayed searches to omitted autopsies.
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- According to a media report, the investigation into the fire in Crans-Montana has serious shortcomings.
- For example, there are reports of evidence being confiscated late and autopsies not being carried out.
- The public prosecutor's office also acted with conspicuous restraint towards the Valais authorities, despite possible conflicts of interest.
According to the NZZ am Sonntag, files on the criminal investigation into the fire in Crans-Montana VS have revealed major shortcomings in the investigation. Among other things, the smartphones of the bar's operators were only confiscated eight days after the disaster, as the newspaper writes based on investigation files.
The public prosecutor's office also handled the members of the Valais authorities with kid gloves, according to the newspaper. Two days after the fire, the commune's head of security was allowed to personally hand over documents relating to the bar to the public prosecutor's office - even though he was in a conflict of interest.
According to the newspaper, the files also confirm that the public prosecutor's office apparently "simply forgot" to carry out autopsies on victims. On January 14, the public prosecutor's office wrote in a letter: "We have established that no autopsy order was issued to the forensic medicine department." The next day, the funeral of an 18-year-old victim from Lausanne was planned. However, the public prosecutor's office suddenly confiscated the body after all.
According to the NZZ am Sonntag, the documents also suggest that the bar owner's apartment was not searched. The public prosecutor's office and the bar owners' lawyers did not comment.
Unheard call for help from public prosecutor
According to Tamedia, five days after the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud called for additional resources from the authorities. She requested the appointment of a full-time court clerk "to investigate the events of January 1, 2026", as "Le Matin Dimanche" and the "SonntagsZeitung" wrote. The State Council approved the request.
In view of the extent of the case, the support requested was marginal, Tamedia wrote. Pilloud had already sent out "a call for help" in spring 2025. The district attorneys were overworked and "the system is in danger", the newspaper quoted from the 2024 annual report of the Valais public prosecutor's office.
