French police are convinced a murder has taken place in Normandy, but they are faced with an unusual mystery: there is no body, and no one has been reported missing. The state prosecutor has appealed to the public for help in identifying the possible victim.
The suspect, a 46-year-old Polish carpenter who has lived in France for many years, is in custody. Police believe that on 9 March, while driving a black Audi under the influence of alcohol, he knocked over a woman cyclist near Grand Bourgtheroulde. Thinking he had killed her, he went home to get a spade, but on returning found she was still alive. He is then thought to have killed her with the spade and buried her body. The bicycle was disposed of at a rubbish dump.
Several witnesses have heard the suspect give different accounts. His former girlfriend told police he phoned her on 9 March saying he had killed a woman, then later said she was alive. On 13 March, he allegedly told her the full story, including the killing with the spade. Another friend found him cleaning his damaged car and photographed it, now a key piece of evidence. The suspect later set the car on fire and claimed it was stolen.
Police have issued an appeal for witnesses, describing the victim as a woman aged between 40 and 60, wearing a backpack, and possibly riding a bicycle with saddle-bags. They are considering possibilities such as a tourist, a foreign second home-owner, or someone living rough in isolation.
