A French man convicted of murdering his wife in one of France's most notorious 'no-body' murder cases has confessed to the crime nearly six years after her disappearance and said he is prepared to help investigators locate her remains.
Cédric Jubillar, 38, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October 2025 for the murder of his wife, Delphine Jubillar, even though her body was never found. According to his lawyer, Jubillar has now admitted responsibility for the killing and offered to reveal where he concealed her remains, a development that could bring long-awaited answers to investigators and the victim's family.
The case has gripped France since Delphine's disappearance in December 2020 and became one of the country's most closely watched criminal investigations.
Disappearance Sparked Nationwide Investigation
Delphine Jubillar, a 33-year-old nurse and mother of two, vanished during the night of 15-16 December 2020 from the family home in Cagnac-les-Mines, a village in the Tarn department of southern France.
Her disappearance triggered extensive searches involving police, volunteers, and specialist teams. Despite years of investigations and multiple search operations, authorities were unable to locate her body.
Attention gradually turned to her husband as investigators examined the couple's deteriorating relationship. Prosecutors argued that Delphine had been planning to leave the marriage and that tensions between the pair had escalated in the months before her disappearance.
Jubillar was arrested in June 2021 and formally charged with murdering his wife. Throughout the investigation and trial, he repeatedly denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Conviction Without a Body
The trial, held in the city of Albi in 2025, attracted national attention because prosecutors sought a conviction despite the absence of a body or direct forensic evidence proving how Delphine died.
Instead, the prosecution relied on witness testimony, digital evidence, and what it described as a consistent pattern of circumstantial evidence pointing to Jubillar's guilt.
On 17 October 2025, the court found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. The verdict was widely seen as a landmark decision in French criminal law because it demonstrated that a murder conviction could be secured even when a victim's remains had never been recovered.
Jubillar's legal team subsequently announced plans to appeal the ruling.
AFFAIRE JUBILLAR : Coup de théâtre ! Cédric Jubillar passe aux aveux pour la première fois 5 ans après les faits, et reconnaît dans une lettre le meurtre de son épouse Delphine, à quelques semaines de son procès en appel (La Dépêche du Midi). pic.twitter.com/gHhS5KREJC
— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) July 6, 2026
Confession Could Bring Closure
According to statements made by his lawyer, Jubillar has now admitted killing Delphine during an argument and claims he later transported and concealed her body.
French media reports indicate that he has offered to cooperate with investigators and lead them to the location of the remains. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether any new searches have begun.
The confession could have significant implications for the planned appeal and may finally provide answers to Delphine's relatives, who have spent nearly six years seeking information about her fate.
For investigators, the priority is now determining whether Jubillar follows through on his offer and whether Delphine's remains can finally be recovered. If confirmed, the discovery would bring a dramatic new chapter to one of France's most high-profile murder cases and could provide long-awaited closure for a family that has endured years of uncertainty.
