On New Years’s day, firefighters returning to a house fire in central France found the cut body of an 83-year-old woman in her freezer, sources close to the investigation told AFP on Thursday.
A man in his 30s, told to be woman’s grandson was investigated at the scene and was captured pending further probes.
The fire unit said it was informed on Wednesday evening to a house in a secluded settlement in the Haute-Vienne department of France.
They succeeded to put out a fire, which was contained to a particular room but were at first incapable of finding any residents in the house.
Firefighters and police combed the property and found the dismembered corpse of the 83-year-old in the freezer, one source with data of the investigation said.
The grandson, who was at the house, made conflicting statements to police, a second source said.
A post mortem examination will be carried out as part of the investigation.