A suspect was arrested on Sunday in the Cathy Dubois case, the Tournai public prosecutor’s office confirmed. The 47-year-old woman from Tournai died last week after she may have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong.
Cathy Dubois went missing on Saturday, March 30, shortly after closing her restaurant in Tournai around 11:30 p.m. Afterwards nothing was heard from her, after which her boyfriend raised the alarm. A day later, her damaged Peugeot was found near Tournai station and on Monday, April 1, her lifeless body was found in the Scheldt. Investigation revealed that Dubois had died violently.
La Dernière Heure reported on Monday that the suspected perpetrator was caught on Sunday and the Tournai public prosecutor’s office has now confirmed that information. “I can confirm the deprivation of liberty of a person. There will be no further communication today,” said Frédéric Bariseau, department prosecutor at the Tournai public prosecutor’s office, on Monday morning.
According to the French-language newspaper, it concerns a man who moves “in drug circles” and is said to be addicted to cocaine. However, he is said to have no history of serious violence, leading the police to suspect that Dubois may have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong.
The suspect had to appear before investigating judge Christine Dierick on Monday and was said to have made confessions, according to the French-language news site RTL, although the public prosecutor’s office did not want to confirm this for the time being.
Cathy Dubois was the mother of a son, Diégo, and owner and chef of the restaurant Une P’tite Envie in the center of Tournai. She also worked as a secretary and teacher at a local primary school.