Ex-French police officer held in Portugal over killing of two women

Published on 26/03/2026 - 9:44 GMT+1

A 42-year-old erstwhile French constabulary serviceman is suspected of sidesplitting 2 women whose bodies were recovered buried successful the Serra da Nogueira, successful Bragança, connected Wednesday. The victims are the suspect’s former spouse and existent partner, and helium was arrested successful Portugal.

Cédric Prizzon had been wanted by the French authorities for 4 days erstwhile helium was stopped connected Tuesday during a GNR roadside cheque connected the Estrada Nacional 102, successful Mêda, successful the territory of Guarda. He was yet arrested connected charges of papers forgery and amerciable possession of a firearm.

Also travelling successful the conveyance were the suspect’s 2 young children, aged 13 and 18 months, who were recovered harmless and taken into care.

After Prizzon was taken into custody, GNR officers discovered, by moving his name, that helium was being sought by the French authorities connected suspicion of abducting his children, his erstwhile spouse and his existent partner.

“Following the operation, and successful the people of consequent enquiries carried retired by the aforesaid officers, it was established that the detainee was listed arsenic a fishy successful superior offences, namely abduction and different precise superior transgression acts, including suspected homicide. In this context, the Judicial Police were instantly contacted,” the GNR said successful a statement.

According to the French quality bureau AFP, the 2 women were reported missing past Friday successful Aveyron, successful the southbound of France. The alarm was raised by a comparative of Cédric Prizzon’s erstwhile partner, who recovered it unusual that she had not gone to enactment and that the kid had not turned up astatine school, and that neither of them could beryllium reached.

Eldest lad of fishy is believed to person provided information

It was reportedly the erstwhile French constabulary officer’s eldest lad who provided accusation that led the Portuguese authorities to the Serra da Nogueira, successful Bragança, wherever the bodies were buried, SIC (source successful Portuguese) reported. The women had been buried much than 150 kilometres from the spot wherever the fishy was stopped by the GNR.

Sources quoted by AFP indicated that officers from the Toulouse gendarmerie – the French subject constabulary unit based successful the metropolis of Toulouse – could question to Portugal successful the coming hours. The probe is being led by the Montpellier nationalist prosecutor’s office.

The fishy was unemployed, according to French media, and arsenic good arsenic being a erstwhile constabulary serviceman helium was besides a rugby player. It is known that helium had mislaid custody of his children and that, successful 2021, helium had already travelled illegally to Spain with his eldest son, wherever they stayed for respective weeks. He has besides been convicted of home unit against his erstwhile partner.

On societal media, Cédric Prizzon described himself arsenic a contented creator and often claimed that his eldest lad was successful danger.