France mother on trial over daughter's 1987 death

A 72-year-old woman went on trial in Blois, France, on Monday accused of torturing her four-year-old daughter to death in the 1980s, after a DNA match reopened the cold case.

The mother has been charged with torture that led to death. Her former partner, a 74-year-old man from whom she is now separated, is accused of failing to report the abuse. The trial is due to last until November 18.

The remains of Inass Touloub were found in a ditch beside a French motorway in 1987. A forensic report reviewed by AFP said her body showed signs of violence, including iron burns and human bites believed to be those of a woman.

No child had been reported missing in the area at the time, and police appealed for help across 30 countries, putting her image in French schools and town halls. The case remained unresolved for decades.

A DNA sample from a suspect in a separate violence case later matched genetic traces left on Inass's clothes and on the blanket wrapped around her body. The DNA belonged to the victim's brother, leading investigators to reopen the case and arrest the parents in 2018.

In custody, neither parent confessed to the violence that led to their daughter's death, instead accusing each other of domestic abuse. French government statistics say a child dies every week in France after being beaten by their parents.