New buyers were renovating their house in eastern France when they discovered something strange in the attic – the previous owner’s body, prosecutors said on Monday.
Regional newspaper Le Republicain Lorrain identified the remains as Aloïs Iffly, the homeowner who disappeared in 2009 at the age of 81.
Iffly’s wife continued to live in the house until her death in 2020, prompting its sale.
Prosecutor Olivier Glady said the scene “hints at suicide”, with a rope found still hanging in the attic when the body was discovered on 2 November.
The property is in Erstroff, a small village less than an hour’s drive from the German city of Saarbrücken.
It was sold in 2023 and the new owners had begun renovations.
They were looking for the source of a leak in the roof, but tucked inside a cubbyhole were the “skeletal remains”, Mr Glady said.
Police are now investigating the cause of death and the body has been sent to Strasbourg for an autopsy.
The results could put an end to the mystery surrounding Aloïs Iffly’s disappearance, which has remained unsolved for 15 years despite extensive search attempts, Le Republicain Lorrain reported.