Police in Charleville-Mézières opened an investigation after the body of a woman was found dead in an apartment building. A judicial investigation for “deliberate killing by ex-conjoint” was launched after the discovery on Friday evening, around 23:00, in Charleville-Mézières, in the Ardennes region. A man in his 40s was immediately identified, interpellated and placed in police custody. The prosecutor said the case is being handled as “flagrante” and the investigation is ongoing. The woman, born in 1970, was found dead in the building. The detainee is described as born in 1982 and with a clean criminal record. 20 Minutes reported that the woman’s body was found in the cellar of the apartment building where she had been living. Police said the man called emergency services and confessed that he had killed the victim earlier that day while she was coming to collect personal belongings. According to the prosecutor’s office in the Ardennes, the investigation was opened for deliberate homicide by ex-conjoint in flagrance. An autopsy is expected to confirm the cause of death, while early interviews, forensic and material findings point to a criminal explanation. Police also said the suspect was under guardianship and was not intoxicated when the body was discovered. He has no criminal record and was placed in police custody immediately after his arrest. The same prosecutor’s communication also recalled the national domestic violence helpline “3919”, managed by the Fédération nationale solidarité femmes, for women victims of violence. Updated 14 November 2026: 20 Minutes added that the man confessed after calling emergency services, that the victim was found in the cellar, and that the suspect was under guardianship and not intoxicated.