A severely malnourished four year old was discovered lying alongside her mother’s body, apparently trapped with the corpse for several days.
The 40 year old woman, who reportedly suffered from epilepsy, was found dead by emergency responders at approximately midday on Thursday, June 4, in a flat in Montagnac, near Pézenas, in France’s Hérault department.
The young girl was found next to the body, suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and shock. She was rushed to hospital and has since recovered. A family member is now caring for her while she undergoes treatment.
View 2 ImagesThe girl’s 40-year-old mother was said to have lived with epilepsy(Image: Getty Images)
As of June 11, investigators were examining the possibility that the death occurred naturally. No unusual noises were reportedly heard by neighbours, with no evidence of violence or a break-in discovered.
A post-mortem examination is required, though it’s believed she may have died from suffocation following an epileptic fit. The girl was reportedly too small to unlock the door to get help, with the key apparently left in the lock, reports the Irish Mirror.
Thankfully, the youngster’s nursery teacher contacted police after noticing her absence from school. The teacher reportedly received no answer when attempting to reach the mother or her relatives.
Meanwhile, French news outlet Actu.fr also reports that an alert was raised after the mother failed to respond to family and neighbours since Sunday, May 31. Philippe Audoui, first deputy mayor of Montagnac, told Le Parisien: “She wouldn’t have lasted another day.”
Her mother resided alone with her and wasn’t thought to have a partner, with neighbours describing the family as “discreet”. A psychological support team was set up to assist those who attended and were traumatised by what 7sur7 called an “indescribable scene of horror”.
The Pézenas gendarmerie is heading up the investigation, working alongside the public prosecutor’s office in Béziers. One police officer recounted the scene to Le Parisien.
They said: “It was a horrific scene that really upset me. We often see dead bodies, but this… As soon as the door was opened, we realised: there was a foul stench.”
Regarding the child, the officer added: “She screamed when she saw all those people around her.”
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According to reports, four officers turned up at the property, located in a small social housing estate in a town of approximately 4,880 inhabitants. After ringing the doorbell and knocking, they were met with silence.
Local gendarmes were alerted, and firefighters positioned a ladder to the first floor before breaking through a window to enter the premises.