Murder of Cécile Bloch

Cécile Bloch was an 11-year-old French girl from the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France, who was murdered by police officer François Vérove (also written Verove). The murder was one of a series in the Paris area from 1986 to 1994 that shocked the city.[1]

Cécile Bloch
Disappeared5 May 1986
19th arrondissement, Paris, France
Died5 May 1986
19th arrondissement, Paris, France

In late September 2021, in his suicide note, retired French police officer François Vérove confessed to the 1986 murder as well as to the other Le Grêlé (the pockmarked man)-killings.[2][3][4] DNA found at the scene linked the murder to two other murders and six rapes.[1][5][6]

Murder

Shortly after noon on 5 May 1986, Bloch's mother, Suzanne, called the family's home telephone to make sure that Bloch had made it home for lunch. When Bloch did not answer, Suzanne called her daughter's school and was informed that she had not shown up for class that day. Suzanne and her husband Jean-Pierre alerted the guard at their apartment building and began searching for their daughter.[7][8]

Bloch's body was found half-naked under a piece of old carpet in the basement.[7] She had been raped before she was strangled and stabbed.[9]

Investigation

Investigators found that Bloch had been strangled and stabbed in the chest.[10] The fact that her body was partially naked and the presence of semen indicated that she had been raped.[7]

Using DNA and descriptions collected from witnesses, police created a facial composite of the serial killer believed to have slain Bloch in 1986.[6] In late September 2021, 59-year-old François Vérove said he was the killer, after authorities began to investigate him in connection to the crimes and was set to provide DNA to the police. He was found dead at seaside resort Le Grau-du-Roi near Montpellier in Occitanie, after committing suicide and leaving behind a suicide note claiming responsibility for the murder and as well as other rapes and murders.[11]

References
  1. "French ex-officer's DNA ends 35-year murder hunt". BBC News. October 2021.
  2. Brassart, Philippe (7 May 2004). "Qui a tué ma petite Cécile ?" [Who killed my little Cecile?]. ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  3. "La longue traque d'un tueur en série" [The long hunt for a serial killer]. Le Monde (in French). 3 April 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. "Cop Leaves Suicide Note Unmasking Himself as Notorious 'Grele' Serial Killer". 30 September 2021.
  5. Garde, Serge (4 November 2002). "Enquête. Un tueur en série défie la police depuis seize ans. Pour Cécile, Sarah, Marianne, Ingrid et..." [Investigation. A serial killer has challenged the police for sixteen years. For Cecile, Sarah, Marianne, Ingrid and...]. L'Humanité (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. Delterme, Jean (22 July 2015). "Le dossier du tueur en série". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. Bloch, Jean-Marc (presenter) (9 May 2010). L'affaire Cécile Bloch [The Cecile Bloch Case] (Television production) (in French).
  8. "Cécile Bloch, violée et tuée à 11 ans : le premier crime du "Grêlé"". CNEWS (in French). 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  9. Dela Cruz, Mary Adeline (30 September 2021). "Cop Unmasked Himself As 'Grele' Serial Killer That Terrorized Paris For 35 Years In Suicide Note". Latin Times. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  10. "Dernière chance pour démasquer le Grêlé" [Last chance to unmask the Hail]. leparisien.fr (in French). 17 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. Kvetenadze, Téa (30 September 2021). "Ex-French Police Officer Identifies Himself In Suicide Note As Serial Killer Who Terrorized Paris". Forbes. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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