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Suspect in Reykjavik hotel murders detained for another four weeks

Suspect in Reykjavik hotel murders detained for another four weeks

Irish Times2 days ago
A French woman suspected of murdering her husband and daughter at a
Reykjavik
hotel has had her period of detention extended for a further four weeks.
The woman has been in Icelandic police custody since June 14th when her husband and daughter were found dead at the Reykjavik Edition hotel in the city's harbour area. The suspect had also sustained injuries.
The family were French citizens but had lived in Dublin for almost 10 years before travelling to Reykjavik in early June. The daughter was about 30 years old and her father was aged 58. The suspect is 56.
The three had spent a week in the country and were scheduled to leave Iceland on the day they were discovered.
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The French woman will now be detained until August 27th, at which point custody arrangements will be reviewed again. Under Icelandic law, a suspect may be held for up to 12 weeks before being released or charged.
The woman had initially been detained in hospital in Reykjavik as a result of her injuries, but a spokesperson for the city's police confirmed she is now being held in prison.
Icelandic police have been in touch with both Irish and French police regarding the case.
Police are not yet releasing the names of the individuals, as is the norm in Icelandic society.
The killings have shocked both locals and visitors in a city where murders are rare – especially among tourists.
Reykjavik's reputation for safety and its unique landscapes have made Iceland a hugely popular holiday destination, with 2.3 million international tourists visiting the Nordic country last year.
The country prides itself on its low crime rate and regularly tops lists ranking it the safest country in the world.
However, the murder rate has risen in recent years. In 2024, eight people were killed in Iceland, and this year that figure stands at six.
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