The Jubillar Case: Why the Field in Mailhoc Had Not Been Searched Until Now

Mailhoc – 18 July 2026: A field on the edge of a wooded area, an access road sealed off, investigators in white protective suits: in Mailhoc, in the Tarn department, the search in the Delphine Aussaguel case has taken a new turn that must still be assessed cautiously. On Thursday, 16 July, gendarmes found bone remains there, the origin of which is now being examined forensically.

The site is near departmental road D600 and Chemin de Lobre, around eleven kilometres from the couple’s former home in Cagnac-les-Mines. It is an agricultural plot shielded by woodland. This location explains why the site had not previously been part of the known search area: despite numerous operations since the end of 2020, it had never been specifically searched.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office at the Toulouse Court of Appeal, a new tip from Cédric Jubillar was decisive. The 38-year-old is said to have identified the area to investigators after admitting responsibility for his wife’s death in a letter at the beginning of July. Authorities have so far remained reserved about the exact circumstances of this letter and further information.

The gendarmerie deployed extensive resources at the site, including the Toulouse investigation unit, specialists from the Gendarmerie’s Institute of Criminal Research, and dog teams. The search continued on Friday, 17 July. Investigators are looking not only for further possible human remains, but also for objects or traces that could shed light on the sequence of events.

The fact that the site had not been searched earlier is therefore not an indication of an oversight, but initially a consequence of the investigative basis available at the time. Search operations cannot cover every remote property in the region. Only the specific location information enabled investigators to focus their resources on this individual plot and examine it using forensic methods.

The recovered remains were taken to the Gendarmerie’s Institute of Criminal Research in Pontoise for analysis. Genetic testing is intended to determine whether they belong to Delphine Aussaguel. Possible injury marks and the length of time the remains had been at the site may also be examined. As of Saturday, no result concerning identity or cause of death was available.

Delphine Aussaguel disappeared from the couple’s shared home in Cagnac-les-Mines during the night of 16 December 2020. Cédric Jubillar was sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder in October 2025; an appeal is pending. The discovery in Mailhoc therefore does not yet answer any of the outstanding questions. For the family, however, it could be of great human significance after years of uncertainty.