It’s a case that gets a lot of talk. Over several weeks, 51 men, aged 26 to 74, were tried in Avignon. Among them, there is the victim's husband, Dominique Pélicot, who is accused of having handed his wife over to men recruited on a dating site. Facts which took place while she was unconscious. Enough to make people react on a daily basis and in particular Isabelle Fouillot. It's in the columns of Parisian this Saturday, November 23 that Alexia Daval's mother made moving comments. “Like Gisèle Pelicot, Alexia had blackouts, consulted a neurologist and had a scan, in vain”she first revealed. Behavior similar to that of Gisèle Pélicot.
Isabelle Fouillot saw many similarities in the Mazan rape case and that of her daughter's death. “We only found out afterwards, through hair tests, that she had been taking medication for months. continued Alexia Daval’s mother. The young woman often felt unwell but no medical explanation was given to her. “The very morning she died, she was feeling unwell and had done some research on goji berries which she had carried out,
to understand if it didn’t come from there…”, continued Isabelle Fouillot.
Isabelle Fouillot: “It was not dug”
Hair analyzes showed that Alexia Daval had taken medication for several months and Isabelle Fouillot states: “This is proof that this was done without his knowledge.” However, the young woman's mother deplores the fact that the investigation was not thorough in this regard.
“Unfortunately, it hasn’t been dug deep enough. I tell myself that if this took place today, justice would look at it differently,” she assured. For Isabelle Fouillot, following the Mazan rape trial is complicated since it reminds her of her daughter's story. “It also says that violence within the couple can take different forms: chemical submission is a form of low-noise control”, she declared.
A question arises: was Alexia Daval aware of the facts of which she was a victim? Or did she really think they could be things she ate in her daily life?
“No doubt Alexia didn't understand what was happening to her, perhaps she didn't want to worry us. We will never know,” confides Isabelle Fouillot. Questions that will unfortunately never be answered.
“But I really admire the strength of Gisèle Pelicot and her daughter Caroline. They don’t fight for themselves, but for others”declares Isabelle Fouillot, very touched by Gisèle Pélicot's public fight.
Isabelle Fouillot: Alexia Daval's mother launches an important appeal
It was on October 28, 2017 that Alexia Daval's life took a tragic turn. The young woman was murdered by her husband, Jonathann Daval. “A At the time, we were just starting to talk about “feminicide”, a reality of which we ourselves, I must admit, were not aware,”
confides Isabelle Fouillot. This affair made those close to the young woman understand that “the danger could come from within, that the “nice husband” could also be a murderer”. The Alexia Daval affair had caused a lot of talk but the trial of Gisèle Pélicot could be a big turning point.
“Alexia is known to everyone. But the others? They had a life, a family. They are not numbers”, recalls Isabelle Fouillot.
In this interview, Alexia Daval's mother takes the opportunity to convey an important message. In 2017, the young woman was the 147th victim. “But who remembers the 146th or the 148th?” asks Isabelle Fouillot who then specifies that she is still very supported today. Alexia Daval is not the only victim and her mother would like all the others, whose identity is unknown, not to be forgotten. “I would like each year, on November 25, the television channels to publish a banner displaying the name and age of the victims on the occasion of the day for the fight against violence against women,” she said, concluding: “They had a life, a family, they are not numbers.”
