Dinner party guest makes gruesome discovery

Host's wife and son in freezer

A dinner party guest in Verviers, eastern Belgium, made a hasty exit from her host's house after discovering the bodies of his wife and son in the freezer.

The "helpful" invitee had been washing the dishes and nipped down to the basement to stick the leftovers in the freezer, where she was confronted with the corpses of Chantal Charron, 46, and her son Bryan, 11, The Times reports. Having made good her escape, she called police who arrested 42-year-old Didier Charron on suspicion of murder.

Brussels public prosecutor Christine Wilworth explained that "Mrs Charron had announced a few weeks earlier that she wanted a divorce on the ground of continual beatings at the hands of her husband".

A neighbour told La Dernière Heure: "I knew him very well. Didier is a very violent man, especially when he has had a drink when he is no longer master of his words or behaviour. Even if this drama is terrible it could have happened earlier. For my part I have warned the police on a number of occasions following aggressive behaviour towards me and my son."

Wilworth confirmed that police had "intervened on several occasions to break up disputes between the couple" and held a "thick file" on Mr Charron. She said he'd "indicated that he had had a violent row with his wife in the course of which he seized a knife".

Wilworth continued: "According to the woman who discovered the body, Didier Charron seemed ill at ease. His plan to hide the disappearance of his wife and stepson had just fallen apart. At the moment we are carrying out an investigation to see if a missing person warrant had been issued. First indications are that it had not been done.

"It was the suspect who explained that the boy's body was underneath his mother's. Since the freezer is very narrow he could not be seen at first. As far as the child's death is concerned it is far from clear. An autopsy, which will take place soon, will enable us to know more about the circumstances and the date of this tragic event." ®