Picardy: woman found dead at home, spouse in police custody

A 70-year-old woman was found dead at her home in Albert (Somme) on Monday and her husband was taken into police custody, the Amiens prosecutor announced Tuesday.

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Monday, shortly before noon, "the firefighters intervened at the home of a couple residing in Albert" after having been called a few minutes earlier "by the husband of the deceased who explained having discovered the lifeless body of his wife", reported the public prosecutor of Amiens Alexandre de Bosschère in a press release. This woman presented "significant wounds on the level of the head". "The inconsistent statements given by the spouse of the deceased and the lack of explanation of the injuries noted, led the prosecution to open a criminal investigation for intentional homicide," added the prosecutor.

The man was placed in police custody on Monday and the police, which was extended on Tuesday, is still in progress. So far, this 70-year-old man, unknown to the justice system, "disputes all violence and refers to the occurrence of a fall," said de Bosschère. The autopsy carried out Tuesday morning "confirmed the presence of the first lesions noted" and also "highlighted several cost fractures".

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“The state of health of the deceased was also very degraded. Complementary forensic investigations were ordered to clarify the circumstances of the occurrence of the death, "he said.