Jogger’s body found in Vienne woods three weeks after she disappeared
Her body was found outside initial search area by a walker over the weekend
Gendarmes search for the jogger's body in woods near Vivonne (Vienne) on April 15, five days after she disappeared
Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo
The body of a woman who disappeared after leaving to go running over three weeks ago in western France has been found in a nearby wood.
The body of Agathe Hilairet, 28, was discovered amongst undergrowth by a walker on Sunday (May 4), reports French media.
“The autopsy carried out today has not yet determined the cause of death,” said the Poitiers (Vienne) public prosecutor, who is leading the investigation into the death, in a press conference yesterday (May 5).
Phone used to narrow down search area
The woman disappeared when jogging near her parents’ home on April 10 in the Vienne department. She was a regular runner, often covering distances of 10km or more.
She lived in nearby Poitiers, where she worked as a secretary.
However, in the weeks leading up to her disappearance she was on sick leave (arrêt maladie), according to sources close to her.
Her father informed the police of her disappearance on the day she went missing. Officers geolocated her phone to a wooded area in the south of the department, around 10km from her parents’ home.
Extensive searches were carried out by gendarmes, firefighters, and even divers through the nearby river, but to no avail. Up to 100 officials were involved.
The body was found in an undergrowth on the outskirts of the search area, the public prosecutor said, in an area that had not been previously searched by police.
Investigators hope that further tests on the body will yield insight into the death.
