Gard: a 33 cm knife discovered in a corpse by funeral directors, an investigation opened

A 33-centimeter knife was discovered in the thorax of a corpse by funeral directors, two days after a doctor concluded it was suicide, we learned on Saturday from the Alès public prosecutor's office which opened a investigation.

“During the funeral washing, the funeral home employee who was preparing the body saw his needle hit an obstacle. A 33-centimeter knife was lodged in the thorax, buried up to the handle, invisible from the outside, and whose blade was placed at the height of the heart,” explained the Alès prosecutor, Abdelkrimi Grini, to AFP. confirming information from the local news site Objectif Gard.

An investigation was opened to “search for the causes of death” in order to determine whether it was a possible murder or to corroborate the theory of suicide. An autopsy of the body is planned for Monday at the Nîmes Forensic Institute.

Several chest wounds

The body of the man, aged 54, was found, inert, at the beginning of the week, in the park of a clinic in Bouches-du-Rhône, where he was being treated for psychological suffering. He had several wounds on his chest and another on his carotid artery.

“A box cutter was discovered at his side, as well as letters written in which he indicated that he was ending his life. No trace of a struggle was also detected. The doctor declared suicide, since'a priorieverything converged towards this thesis,” added the prosecutor.

“Never seen”

At the request of the family, the body was then repatriated to Gard, to Vigan near the Cévennes, in order to be buried there after care provided by the funeral directors.

“Without this care, the knife would probably never have been spotted. In 28 years of experience, I have never seen such a situation,” was surprised the prosecutor, who specified that if the evidence concluded that there was a possible murder, the investigation would then be managed by the Marseille prosecutor's office, department of death of the victim.