The authorities have disclosed the identity of a woman whose dismembered body was discovered in a park on Valentine’s Day.
The police were summoned to Buttes-Chaumont Park in Paris, France, after the lower torso of a woman was found in a plastic bag on Monday, February 13.
Additional remains, including a decapitated head, were found the following day at the end of an abandoned railway line.
Using the victim’s fingerprints, authorities in Paris identified the body as that of 46-year-old Assia Matoug, a married mother of three who went missing from her home in Seine-Saint-Denis, a northeastern district of the city, on January 31.
The police believe that the woman was killed before being dismembered, and she was found still wearing floral-patterned jeans.
A source stated, “Obviously, the body was cut dressed,” adding, “The corpse was not in a state of putrefaction, which seems to attest to a recent death.”
Parts of Mrs. Matoug’s body were found in a wooded area of the 61-acre park, with some of the remains concealed in plastic bags.
The source added, “The first bag was found in an area used by park workers to dump waste. It was hidden under a pile of leaves, and inside was a section of the body cut from below the chest to the knees.”
Mrs. Matoug’s husband reported her missing on February 6, a week after she first disappeared, and was said to be “in a state of great distress” while caring for their three children, aged eight, 14, and 17.
An investigating source mentioned, “He was in a state of shock, and said he had been too overcome with grief to speak to the police earlier.”
Up to that point, the police had no leads in the hunt for the perpetrator.
A murder inquiry was initiated, and a major search operation, which led to the temporary closure of the park, was launched on February 14.
Additionally, a diving team was brought in to search the park’s lake following the discovery.
So far, no suspects have been identified.
Buttes-Chaumont Park, established in 1867, is the fifth-largest park in the French capital and a popular destination for families and tourists.
The park features numerous attractions, including the renowned Temple de la Sibylle, situated atop the artificial lake.
