{
  "id": 17827439,
  "title": "Mother on trial in France over 1980s killing of four-year-old",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/mother-on-trial-in-france-over-1980s-killing-of-four-year-old",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T16:17:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/mother-on-trial-in-france-over-1980s-killing-of-four-year-old-1.500733144"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 72-year-old woman appeared in a French courtroom on Monday, facing charges of torturing her four-year-old daughter to death in the 1980s. Her appearance was somber, with her head lowered and a scarf obscuring her face as she left the courtroom in Blois. Her husband, a 74-year-old, entered the courthouse separately, supported by a cane, and donned a black cap, sunglasses, and a face mask.\n\nThe mother has been charged with torture resulting in death, while her former partner faces accusations of failing to report the abuse. The trial is set to conclude on November 18. Inass Touloub, the victim, was discovered in a ditch alongside a French motorway in 1987, with her body displaying severe signs of violence, including burns caused by an iron rod and bites believed to have been inflicted by a woman, as per the forensic report provided to AFP. Despite no child having been reported missing in the vicinity, police initiated a plea for assistance spanning 30 countries, with her image displayed in numerous French schools and town halls. The case had remained unsolved until recently.\n\nRecent developments have reignited interest in the case. A DNA sample from a suspect in a separate violent incident matched genetic traces found on Inass's clothes and the blanket she was wrapped in. The DNA belonged to Inass's brother, which led to the reopening of the case and the arrest of the couple in 2018. Initially, neither parent confessed to the violence that caused their daughter's death; instead, they blamed each other for the abuse. In France, a child dies every week due to parental violence, according to government statistics. Recently, police uncovered remains of five infants in a home, and two teenagers were detained in connection with the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Rennes.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}