2024-02-14 18:30:00
The events took place on November 17, 2020 on a farm in Plombières, where the accused and his wife operated a dairy. The body of Ghislaine Thissen was found at the bottom of a metal tank in the dairy. Jacques Roemers is suspected of having killed his wife, but he claimed that the death occurred by drowning and was accidental.
The tank was empty and clean
Significant forensic expertise was carried out during the investigation in order to shed light on the circumstances of Ghislaine Thissen’s death. Around thirty reports were issued during the investigation, covering forensic expertise, fiber analysis and micro biological traces.
The body of Ghislaine Thissen was found lying on his stomach at the bottom of a clean, empty tank. His clothes were wet and the victim had “laundress hands”, indicating a prolonged presence in the water of at least thirty minutes.
The autopsy carried out by doctors Violette Dechamps and Aurélien Partoune showed that the victim showed signs of asphyxiation, with the presence of a foam fungus in the nose and mouth. This fungus can be found in the event of drowning, but also in the event of toxicological death or asphyxiation.
Udo not grab the neck during a strangulation maneuver
According to forensic pathologists, the victim presented areas of hemorrhage with petechiae. His lungs did not present the usual appearance related to drowning. Ghislaine Thissen had an antemortem wound on the inside of her lower lip, indicating compression of the mouth. She also had numerous lesions, bruises and skin abrasions on her head, nose and mouth, suggestive of intervention by a third party.
At the neck level, the experts noted two symmetrical lesions suggestive of manual gripping. A large proportion of the lesions found were made before death. The others are the cause of the intervention of the firefighters to remove the body from the tank.
For expert Philippe Boxho, there was a grip on the victim’s neck during a strangulation maneuver. But this maneuver is not the main cause of death. The victim’s suffocation is demonstrated by the lesions on the victim’s mouth, by the wound on the inner side of the lower lip and by the dilation of the airways. Death occurred due to airway obstruction.
“There is no evidence to allow me to conclude that it was a death by drowning. An illness which would have led to discomfort or sudden death is excluded. We have conclusive evidence to support that the death occurred due to suffocation with the ‘intervention of a third party’said expert Boxho.
1707935787
#Assises #Liège #victim #presented #injuries #suggestive #intervention #party