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France

France's oldest female detainee, 79, stands trial for 1995 murder cracked by DNA evidence

Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 06:24 · 1 min read

Marie-Thérèse Garcia, 79, has gone on trial at a courthouse in Versailles (west of Paris) for the kidnap and murder of her former sister-in-law Corinne Di Dio, whose dismembered body was found in a metal trunk floating in the River Seine in 1995. The cold case was twice closed for lack of evidence before a recent DNA breakthrough linked hairs found inside the trunk to Garcia or a matrilineal relative, leading to her imprisonment in 2023. Prosecutors allege Garcia lured Di Dio to her home south-west of Paris, where she was killed and dismembered, possibly to help Di Dio's former partner gain custody of their young son — though Garcia denies all charges, calling the case "built on sand."

Sources
BBC WorldFrance's oldest female detainee, 79, goes on trial for in-law's grisly murder ↗︎
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