French chef’s body found in freezer

LONDON - The frozen corpse of a chef was found in a freezer in an apartment in France after his drunk girlfriend revealed a tragedy that is believed to have happened two years ago.

Police have discovered the body of 71-year-old Jean-Francois Poinard, one of France’s best-known former chefs, believed to have been hidden for up to two years, Daily Mail reported Thursday.

The police raided the apartment in Lyon, south east France after Poinard’s former girlfriend Guylene Collober, 51, told her daughter on a drunken night out that “something unfortunate” had befallen her lover. The daughter then informed the police.

When officers arrived, Collober is said to have collapsed in tears telling them: “I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

Poinard’s body was hidden in a chest freezer in the foetal position and covered with plastic bags, police said.

A spokesman added: “An initial examination suggests it could have been there for up to two years. A full post mortem examination will be carried out to discover the precise cause of death.”

Collober had been taken into custody charged with hiding a body, but faced further charges depending on the findings of the autopsy, the spokesman said.

The guardian of their building in the rue Laurent-Vibert where the body was found said Poinard and Collober moved into the apartment six years ago.

She added: “I used to hear them arguing quite often. But because I hadn’t seen Poinard for a year or two, I assumed they had split up.”