A French pensioner has been found dead in her home with a naked Sudanese illegal migrant lying on top of her.
Police in Toulouse discovered 93-year-old Marie-Louise lying naked on her bathroom floor on Sunday after neighbours reported hearing shouting and loud noises coming from inside.
The elderly woman had been left disabled after suffering a stroke earlier this year, and was unable to leave her bed.
French authorities suspect the 93-year-old was murdered and sexually assaulted.
Officers arrested a homeless 34-year-old man from Sudan at the address, who is said to be in France illegally.
An autopsy revealed that Marie-Louise suffered “injuries suggestive of sexual violence” and “traumatic neck injuries consistent with asphyxiation”, Toulouse prosecutors confirmed.
The Sudanese migrant will appear in court on Tuesday, with authorities launching a probe into whether the pensioner had been raped before or after her death.
Prosecutors have requested the 34-year-old to be remanded into custody.
Police in Toulouse discovered 93-year-old Marie-Louise lying naked on her bathroom floor on Sunday
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Marie-Louise had lived in the Minimes district of Toulouse for several years and is said to have been a much-loved figure in the community.
Shortly before 5pm, neighbours reported hearing disturbing noises coming from inside.
“We could hear it so clearly that we thought he was right there – it didn’t occur to us that it could be coming from inside the house,” one local said.
“We heard shouts, insults – ‘f*** your mother’ – and then sounds of blows.”
Officers arrested a homeless 34-year-old man from Sudan at the address, who is said to be in France illegally (file photo)
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Officers raced to the scene, where they found the floor and a mattress caked in blood after breaking into the property.
After searching around the home, Marie-Louise was discovered lying dead on the floor of her bathroom.
The homeless migrant is alleged to have been found in an intoxicated state, lying naked on top of the 93-year-old’s corpse.
The pensioner is said to have suffered the attack after leaving her doors unlocked to allow carers and family members to enter the property easily.
Members of the Minimes community have been spotted leaving flowers outside the property (file photo)
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Devastated residents have paid tribute to the pensioner, who was decribed as being “the neighbourhood grandmother”.
One man in his 30s, who lived next door to Marie-Louise, said: “It’s awful, she saw me born, we did her shopping for her.”
A friend of the 93-year-old added: “She was already disabled, she didn’t need to end her days like this.”
Members of the Minimes community have been spotted leaving flowers outside the property where her alleged murder took place.