German arrested in France for holding wife captive for 12 years
3 Min Read
Twelve years later, the truth behind the walls of a German local's house was revealed, but the reason behind it is still unclear.
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Policemen stand guard during a demonstration of students in Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. (AP)
French police said they had detained a 55-year-old German national on Monday after his wife was discovered naked and in a devastating state after, claiming she was imprisoned for 12 years at the couple's house.
According to a police source, the woman, who was also German, was discovered with her head shaved in a bedroom of the flat, had several bruises, and was malnourished, and most likely tortured.
After an assessment by the local forensic medicine department, local prosecutor Olivier Glady told AFP that her health was "not good." However, he later stated during a press conference that, contrary to media claims, early exams revealed no fractures or injuries.
He stated that blood tests revealed that she was not significantly dehydrated. "The cursor is probably moving away from a scenario of horror, towards unsatisfactory conditions of the care of a sick person," Glady said.
No 'Bluebeard'
"The current state of investigation appears us to move away from the specter of a Bluebeard of the Moselle region," the prosecutor added, a reference to "Bluebeard," a French folk tale about a wealthy man who murders his wives.
Police revealed that the bedroom and other rooms in the apartment were closed off with metal wire at the flat in Forbach in eastern France, near the German border. Glady added that the setup may have been meant to keep the household's 10 cats in.
According to a police source, the woman, 53, gained access to a phone and called police in Wiesbaden, western Germany, who then notified their French counterparts.
How did the man hide her?
For many years, the man had everyone in the building believe that his wife had cancer, according to Alicia, a neighbor.
"I never saw the lady, I don't think she ever left the house," she said.
"Sometimes I heard screams," Alicia said but added that she thought they were caused by the illness.
When asked about the man, she said he was very polite and friendly.
Erika, another witness who lives on a neighboring street, claimed she last saw the woman "maybe 10 years ago" and assumed "she had died or moved out."
Police are investigating the man for kidnapping, aggravated rape, and acts of cruelty and brutality, according to French network BFMTV.
Per RMC, investigators discovered a diary-style notebook in which the guy allegedly maintained a record of his actions and the times he fed his wife, although the prosecutor did not confirm this.
Police had previously been called to the couple's house in 2019, but found no signs of disturbance.
The man is jobless and believed to have worked in German industry previously, Glady said.
Moreover, Police have extended his custody by 24 hours, the prosecutor said.
