Investigators are trying to unravel the mystery of a tragedy that took place inside the Sainte-Monique nursing home on Rue du Tchad in Toulouse. A 77-year-old woman was killed in her room on Thursday evening, reports The DispatchA murder investigation has been opened and entrusted to the Territorial Crime Division (DCT).
“Since this macabre discovery, another resident has been arrested, although his involvement remains uncertain,” the newspaper reports. All hypotheses are on the table for the moment.
Suspect in ‘full crisis’ of Alzheimer’s
On June 27, shortly after 11 p.m., an unusual noise was heard by staff and residents of the “Alzheimer’s” unit. Witnesses then claimed to have “seen a man come out of the next room with a slipper in his hand,” according to The Dispatch. In an attempt to find out more, the employees entered the room. They discovered that the septuagenarian was no longer breathing. She appeared to have been hit and probably suffocated. Unfortunately, the emergency services were unable to revive her.
Police officers were then sent to the scene. They tried, shortly after midnight, to question the victim’s roommate. But the task was not easy because the man, also 77 years old, was speaking incoherently because he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and “seemed to be in the middle of a crisis”, according to the newspaper. He was therefore “hospitalized and sedated urgently”.
Traces of blows on the victim’s face
The investigation is not, however, at a standstill while waiting to be able to take the suspect into custody. The forensic police were still able to collect evidence from his room and that of the victim. The autopsy also found traces of blows on the face and arms as well as a probable asphyxia syndrome. According to the Toulouse prosecutor’s office, the preferred lead is therefore “murder”. A murder that is still very mysterious.
