Cédric Jubillar provided investigators with precise details about where he claims to have hidden his wife's body after her death. Delphine Jubillar was reportedly buried hastily under a large pile of agricultural compost on a farm in Mailhoc, Tarn. This compost was then used by the farmer and spread over more than 200 hectares, considerably complicating the recovery of all the remains. Bones were discovered on Thursday, July 16, on the land indicated by Cédric Jubillar. They were transported to the laboratory of the National Gendarmerie's Criminal Research Institute in Pontoise to determine their origin and establish whether they belong to the nurse who disappeared in December 2020.
A body concealed in a mound of agricultural soil
In his new version of events, Cédric Jubillar claims to have transported his wife's body to a farm property about ten kilometers from Cagnac-les-Mines. He says he chose a large mound of topsoil or compost, over three meters high, located near an abandoned house. The painter and drywall installer claims he did not dig a deep grave. He says he moved the soil aside with his hands to create a rough cavity before placing the body inside and covering it. The remains were thus concealed at a shallow depth in the mound, without a proper burial. The property is located in the commune of Mailhoc, about 11 kilometers from the couple's home. Cédric Jubillar accompanied investigators to the site on Thursday, July 16, and showed them precisely the area where he claims to have left the body on the night of December 15-16, 2020.
The compost was spread across the entire farm.
Over the following years, the compost heap was gradually used by the farm owner. Its contents were likely loaded and then spread as fertilizer on the various agricultural plots, totaling over 200 hectares. This use explains the possible dispersal of the remains over such a large area. The largest bones may have remained near the original location, while smaller fragments could have been moved with the compost and spread across several fields. The farmer had no reason to suspect the presence of a body in this mound intended for his professional activity. The location had changed over the seasons, and the heap visible in December 2020 had largely disappeared by the time the police returned to the site.
Bones discovered at the very beginning of the research
The search began Thursday morning in the presence of Cédric Jubillar, his lawyers, and approximately one hundred gendarmes. Forensic identification specialists, technicians, and investigators meticulously examined the designated area. Several bones, likely human, were quickly discovered near the former location of the compost heap. Their condition was described as highly degraded after more than five years buried in the ground and following various handling of the agricultural substrate. The relevant items were transported by helicopter to the National Gendarmerie's Criminal Research Institute. Analysis is expected to confirm their human nature, establish a genetic profile, and compare it to that of Delphine Jubillar. The search continued on Friday around the mound and in the neighboring fields. The departmental road running alongside the site was closed during the operations. The operation was finally lifted around 4:00 PM, and the search concluded after two days of work.
Five years of denials before the confession
Delphine Jubillar, a 33-year-old nurse and mother of two, disappeared from her family home in Cagnac-les-Mines on the night of December 15-16, 2020. The couple was in the process of separating, and Delphine was preparing to start a new life with another man. For more than five years, Cédric Jubillar denied any responsibility. He was found guilty of his wife's murder by the Tarn Assize Court on October 17, 2025, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. His lawyers immediately appealed the decision. On July 6th, he admitted for the first time in writing that he was responsible for Delphine's death. Taken from prison on Wednesday, July 15, he requested to be heard by the presiding judge of the Haute-Garonne Assize Court and gave his new version of events for approximately an hour and a half. The following day, he was taken to Mailhoc to show investigators the location where he claims to have hidden the body.
The identification of the bones is now awaited.
Scientific identification is now the next step in the investigation. Experts will have to search for usable DNA despite the degradation of the bones and their prolonged exposure to the elements. The analyses will also help determine if the remains belong to a single person and search for any traces that could provide investigators with information about the circumstances of the death. The results will be incorporated into the legal proceedings initiated after the confession. Cédric Jubillar's appeal trial was scheduled to begin on September 21, 2026, before the Haute-Garonne Assize Court. The new investigations, forensic examinations, and the full analysis of his statements could lead to a change in this legal timetable.
