French police arrested a man suspected of killing his wife and four children in a knife attack on Christmas Day, according to a public prosecutor.
Their bodies were discovered in a bloodied apartment in Meaux, located 40 km northeast of Paris, on Monday night.
Local prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier stated that the mother and two daughters had been stabbed so many times that it was impossible to determine the number of blows they received. The family’s two younger sons appeared to have been suffocated or drowned.
The children’s father, 33, was taken into custody at his residence in a nearby town on Monday night. The prosecutor has initiated a murder investigation.
The children ranged in age from 9 months to 10 years. Neighbors reported hearing screams during the early hours of Christmas Day. Concern grew when they were unable to reach the family later in the day.
The husband had a history of mental illness, the prosecutor revealed. In 2019, he attacked his wife with a knife. She chose not to press charges and the case was dropped due to his mental health at the time.
Investigators found medical documents and prescriptions for anti-depressants in the family flat, according to the prosecutor.
Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Richard Lough; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Angus MacSwan
