New bone fragments found in Tarn as Cédric Jubillar re-enacts wife's murder

Discovery of bone fragments in Mailhoc

French investigators recovered bone fragments during search operations conducted on Wednesday and Thursday near the village of Mailhoc in the Tarn department. The discoveries occurred on a plot of land that had not previously been explored, located within an expanded search perimeter. Forensic specialists have taken custody of the fragments to run biological analyses and determine whether they are human remains belonging to Delphine Aussaguel. The search followed the initial discovery of her remains in the same sector during July 2026, which occurred after her husband confessed to the killing.

Crime re-enactment in Cagnac-les-Mines

On Friday, 2 October 2026, magistrates and gendarmes conducted a judicial re-enactment lasting more than three and a half hours across Cagnac-les-Mines and Mailhoc. The first stage took place inside the couple's home in Cagnac-les-Mines, where Cédric Jubillar arrived under gendarmerie escort from Seysses prison. During nearly two hours inside the residence, Jubillar demonstrated how he strangled his 33-year-old wife during an argument on the night of 15 to 16 December 2020. He mimed the strangulation by placing his hands on the neck of a female gendarme of equivalent physical build, claiming he acted impulsively in anger.

“Without truly confessing the facts, he acknowledged them.”

Convoi and reconstruction at the burial site

Following the demonstration in the house, Jubillar guided a convoy of approximately 30 judicial and police vehicles along the route to Mailhoc. Investigators instructed him to trace his driving route from that night, which included an initial turn toward Albi before heading to the field. At the burial site, Jubillar re-enacted placing his wife's body in a compost heap, claiming he had dug the ground using only his bare hands. Gendarmerie units had deposited two truckloads of compost on site earlier in the week so investigators could test the feasibility of his physical claims. Lawyers representing the civil parties disputed the plausibility of his account, noting that he struggled during the physical simulation.

“He was unable to carry Delphine's body. Put in that situation, he was immediately in difficulty.”

Legal proceedings and scheduled appeal

Cédric Jubillar, 39, has been incarcerated at Seysses prison near Toulouse since June 2021. He maintained his innocence for five years before confessing on 16 July 2026 and leading investigators to the field the following day. Having received a sentence of 30 years of criminal imprisonment during his first-instance trial, he is scheduled to appear on appeal before the Tarn-et-Garonne Assize Court in Toulouse between 30 April and 14 May. Civil party attorneys intend to challenge his claim of an unplanned killing during the appeal proceedings, pointing to telephone records that suggest prior reconnaissance of the disposal site.