The story of a missing four-year-old French girl took a grisly turn today when Israeli police revealed their suspicions that the child had been murdered by her mother and grandfather, who were in a romantic relationship.

Rose, the little girl with haunted blue eyes and ashy blonde hair has been called the Israeli Madeleine McCann. Her photographs have filled local newspapers while the details of her family's past have scandalised the Israeli public.

Police said that the girl's grandfather, Ronnie Ron, 45, admitted to delivering a blow to the girl that killed her before stuffing her body in a suitcase and throwing it into a river near his home in the coastal town of Natanya.

Ronnie Ron was living with the girl's mother, 23-year-old Marie Pisam. The two began their relationship while Pisam was still married to Ron's son, Benjamin.

Police called the case one of the most shocking in recent history.

"I have handled many investigations, but I can't recall a single other investigation that turned all of our stomachs, in which investigators came out of briefings with tears in their eyes said," Ilan Ben Shalom, the central district police commander.

The police investigation and local media reports have revealed a complicated family history.

Rose was born in France to French-born Pisam and an Israeli man identified by his first name, Benjamin. Shortly after Rose's birth, her parents decided to travel to Israel to fulfill Benjamin's wish to meet, for the first time, his biological father Ronnie Ron. Ron, however, appeared more interested in Pisam. The two reportedly fell in love, and Pisam remained in Israel with Ron, while her husband returned to France with Rose.

Over the next two years Benjamin had difficulty raising his daughter and transferred her to a string of institutions in France.

Meanwhile, Pisam and Ron decided to wed and had two sons together. In 2007 they discovered that Rose, then three years old, had been hospitalised after allegedly suffering abuse at the hands of her father.

The two fought for custody of the girl, and later that year brought her to live with them in Israel.

A friend of the family said that Ron and Pisam felt they were headed towards "reunification" and that they hoped their family would soon have a happy ending. Rose, however, displayed severe behavioral problems from her reported history of abuse. She could not communicate in French or Hebrew, and had difficulty with basic motor skills.

Confronted with the difficulties of the girl, the couple decided to give her to Ron’s mother, Vivian, who cared for her for several months before insisting that another arrangement be made.

In May of 2008, Ron and Vivian had a bitter fight, after which Ron packed Rose's belongings in a bag and took the child home with him. It was the last time that Vivian saw the little girl.

Three months later, after repeated calls to Ron and Pisam, Vivian decided to approach authorities and report the girl as missing. Earlier this month, police began a widespread investigation into the case.

Police said that they are positive that Ron and Pisam are involved in the disappearance of Rose, but are still questioning the couple. During his interrogation, Ron recanted his initial testimony several times, telling police various versions of the story in which he sold the girl to Arabs in the Palestinian Authority or to a family abroad.

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