Skeletal remains found in Cagnac-les-Mines: forensic medicine will have to determine the identity

Cagnac-les-Mines – 17 July 2026: Following the discovery of presumed human bones in the vicinity of Cagnac-les-Mines, in the Tarn department, investigators are continuing their search operations. The remains were discovered on Thursday, 16 July, on land being investigated in connection with the case of Delphine Jubillar. First, forensic medicine will have to determine whether they are in fact human bones and to whom they may be attributed.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Toulouse Court of Appeal, the bones were found at a location that Cédric Jubillar had indicated to investigators. The land is near Cagnac-les-Mines, where Delphine Jubillar lived before her disappearance. Following the discovery, the Gendarmerie secured the area and extended the investigation to neighbouring land.

Several forensic steps are necessary for identification. Experts will first examine the nature, condition and possible traces present in the findings. Genetic analyses may then be carried out, provided there is sufficient biological material. Only comparison with reference samples will be able to answer the question of whether there is a connection with Delphine Jubillar, who has been missing since December 2020.

Investigators are therefore continuing to treat the discovery with great caution. The discovery of bones alone does not allow either a definitive identification or a complete reconstruction of events. The duration of the forensic analysis also remains unknown. The new searches aim to locate possible additional remains and objects that may be relevant as evidence.

Delphine Jubillar, née Aussaguel, disappeared from her home in Cagnac-les-Mines during the night of 15 to 16 December 2020. Her whereabouts remained unresolved for years. The case led to extensive search operations and lengthy criminal proceedings. In October 2025, Cédric Jubillar was sentenced by the Tarn Criminal Court to 30 years in prison for the murder of his wife.

The current work therefore concerns a central issue in the proceedings that remains unresolved: the whereabouts of the missing woman. If the investigations led to an identification, the results could be relevant to the subsequent judicial review of the case. For the time being, no decision has been made on a possible effect on the ongoing appeal proceedings.

On Friday, according to available information, the authorities are focusing on the collection of evidence and the analysis of the recovered findings. Until the results of the forensic examinations are known, it will remain unclear whether the bones can be attributed to Delphine Jubillar. The public prosecutor’s office and the responsible investigators have not yet published a definitive conclusion on this decisive question.