A mother suspected of having killed her three children in 2018 in Mérignac, near Bordeaux, was found dead in the Gradignan (Gironde) remand center, according to the Bordeaux prosecutor's office, confirming information from Sud Ouest.
The 45-year-old former nurse anesthetist was found unconscious in her cell by her fellow inmate on the night of Saturday to Sunday, near a razor blade and a pair of scissors.
According to the prosecution, which favors the hypothesis of suicide, the death results from an injury to the groin with section of the femoral artery.
On site, the supervisors and then the firefighters were unable to save her despite their resuscitation efforts.
Triple infanticide
The mother was suspected of having killed her two boys, aged 5 and 9, and her daughter, aged 8, by giving them a drug, a strong anesthetic, before drowning them.
She had admitted the facts during her police custody, in April 2018, after leaving a letter in which she expressed her "malaise".
The ex-nurse, known for previous suicide attempts, was to appear soon before the Assize Court of the Gironde.
An autopsy will be performed on Tuesday.