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Four adult male bodies were pulled from the River Seine in Choisy-le-Roi, a suburb southeast of Paris, after a commuter on the RER C commuter line reported seeing a body in the water on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
Local prosecutors say autopsies are underway to establish the cause and timing of death.
A passenger travelling on the RER C alerted police at about 1:00 p.m. after spotting what looked like a man in the river; emergency teams then recovered four bodies from roughly the same area. Officers found a second body about 50 meters from the first, a third trapped in branches along the bank, and a fourth drifting with the current.
Three of the men were found fully clothed, and a fourth was unclothed, and authorities say the corpses appeared to have been submerged for several days before they were discovered.
The Creteil prosecutor’s office reported that autopsy work on two of the bodies revealed “signs of beating” and that an inquiry was opened on suspicion of homicide.
Video of the banks of the Seine in Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), where four men's bodies were retrieved from the river, Aug. 14, 2025. (AFP Photo)
At the same time, a source close to the investigation told reporters that, for now, “There is no evidence to suggest a criminal investigation at this stage,” and added that “An autopsy will be performed this Thursday morning and will shed more light on the circumstances of their deaths.”
The statements reflect the early, developing nature of the inquiry as forensic teams try to reconcile initial findings.
Only one of the four victims has so far been formally identified, while forensic teams continue work to determine the identities and precise dates of death of the others.
The bodies were transported to the Paris Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification and autopsy, and investigators say those examinations should clarify whether the cases are connected or separate incidents.
Local outlets have reported, citing a police source, that three of the men appeared to be of African descent and a fourth of North African descent, though officials have not completed formal identification.
Officials have emphasized that autopsies and laboratory tests are the key next steps and that results will be needed before concluding the cause or timing of death.
Investigators continue to piece together how the four bodies came to be in the same stretch of river and are treating the situation as an active, evolving inquiry.
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