A homeless man in his 20s is charged with three counts of murder. This follows the finding of four bodies in the River Seine near Choisy-le-Roi, a town on the southeastern edge of Paris. On August 13, police found the bodies, each at various stages of decay. This shocking discovery led to an investigation ordered by the Créteil Public Prosecutor’s Office.
One week after authorities first stopped him, police arrested their primary suspect. This was occurring on the same day the bodies were found. After an hours-long stop, the suspect was reportedly found with docs belonging to one in every of his victims. This was enough evidence for his detention, and later unsanctioned questioning about the deaths.
Among those bodies recovered was that of a 48-year-old French national, whose family had reported him missing just days before it was found. That body was able to be found in relatively complete condition. The body of a 21-year-old Algerian national was found with signs of strangulation. Even more serious is what this finding raises doubts about the conditions surrounding those deaths.
Two of the three known victims were homeless men found often around the area of their bodies, which was known as a gathering place. Asphyxiation was cited by authorities as the cause of death for the third victim, a 26-year-old Tunisian national, deepening the grim toll of this case.
The investigation has uncovered that Choisy-le-Roi is “known as a spot for casual same-sex encounters,” according to statements from the Créteil Public Prosecutor’s Office. This is an important background detail that helps explain what led up to the heartbreaking deaths of these people and many others.
“The bodies were in a very advanced state of decomposition.” – Créteil Public Prosecutor’s Office
As this investigation moves forward, investigators at all levels of law enforcement are working to fill in the chronological blanks and the established relationship between victims and suspect. The dispute judicial court will now determine how to proceed in the notable case against the 26-year-old man. He has not yet been formally charged, but he is under investigation for a dozen counts of murder.
