Killer spread victim’s remains across different countries

POLICE in three EU countries are investigating a murder in which the victim was chopped up and her body parts dumped across different borders.

Yesterday, authorities confirmed that a head and legs found on Nov 1 in the German town of Trier belonged to a torso discovered on Sept 19 in the French town of Mont-saint-martin. The towns are some 40 miles apart on either side of Luxembourg, where a 48-yearold man was arrested on Oct 6 on suspicion of the murder.

The victim has been identified as Diana Santos, 40, a Portuguese woman who lived in northern Luxembourg.

Luxembourg media reported suspicions that the crime was linked to an arranged marriage ring.

Investigators said Ms Santos appeared to have been killed in one location and her remains taken to the other sites. The torso in the French town was found in an abandoned building. A French post mortem examination found no gunshot or stab wounds, nor any indication of sexual violence. The body parts in Germany were spotted in a bush next to a car park.

Prosecutors in the Luxembourg town of Diekirch, where Ms Santos lived, have taken the lead in the case.

Diekirch is roughly equidistant between Trier and Mont-saint-martin.