Three days after the discovery of the body of the 19-year-old student near her university, the cause of death was revealed by the first results of the autopsy, and a suspect already convicted of rape has just been arrested in Switzerland.
The causes of death of Philippine, a 19-year-old student whose body was found in the Bois de Boulogne, west of Paris, were revealed by Le Parisien on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The young woman is believed to have died of asphyxiation, according to the initial results of the autopsy.
But strangulation is not necessarily the cause, as no traces of tightening were found around the victim’s neck. New analyses are expected to determine precisely what caused Philippine’s asphyxiation.
Man arrested in Switzerland
The presence of a masked man, who was reportedly seen in the area with a pickaxe in his hand, is one of the leads being explored by the criminal investigation unit. Witness interviews were still ongoing at the beginning of the week. According to Midi Libre, citing Actu 17 (an online media outlet devoted to news stories), a suspect was arrested in Switzerland on Tuesday, September 24. This 22-year-old man, of Moroccan origin, who had already been convicted in 2019 for a rape case, was subject to an Order to Leave French Territory (OQTF). He was arrested at Geneva train station, placed in detention, and will face extradition, which will be requested by the French authorities.
According to the media, the suspect had recently been released from prison, in circumstances that have not been specified.
On Monday, September 23, a tribute was paid to Philippine at her university, two days after the shock. Concern gripped the students interviewed on BFMTV: “there is fear because it could have been anyone. It was in the middle of the day,” shared one student. Another explained that groups of students are organizing themselves to no longer travel alone.
The body partially buried
Philippine’s body was discovered on Saturday, September 21, 2024, more than 24 hours after her relatives launched an appeal for witnesses for a worrying disappearance. She had last been seen having lunch at Paris-Dauphine University, where she was studying. Philippine was supposed to go to her parents’ house in the afternoon in Yvelines, but her absence and the unanswered calls alerted her relatives.
Near the university, less than 500 meters away, the young woman was found partially buried during a search in which about fifty people took part. Relatives had asked volunteers to search in the Bois de Boulogne, where Philippine’s phone had last been detected.
