Man suspected of killing wife, 4 children, arrested in central France

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – A man suspected of killing his wife and four children in central France was arrested, local media reported on Tuesday.

The murders shocked the town of Meaux near Paris when a neighbor noticed blood on the couple's apartment door and called the police late Monday. The neighboring families were supposed to spend Christmas evening together.

Police discovered five bodies from the same family, including the mother and four children age four, seven, and 10, and a 9-month-old baby, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

The father of the family, 33, who suffered from psychiatric issues, was arrested on Tuesday morning in the neighboring town of Sevran, where he had he sought refuge in his father's house.

The father of four was known by people around him as "psychologically fragile" and had been monitored since 2017.

At a news conference, Meaux prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier said the suspect also stabbed his wife in 2019, but she did not file a complaint. Charges were also not filed due to the man's deficient intellectual state.