The father of Sophie Tuscon de Plantier has died at the age of 98.
Georges Bouniol passed away in a hospital in Paris with his family by his side.
His death comes just days after the anniversary of his daughter's murder; Ms Tuscon de Plantier's body was discovered on the outskirts of Schull on December 23rd, 1996.
Ms Tuscon de Plantier's parents used to travel annually to West Cork at Christmas to attend an anniversary mass for their daughter, alongside their son, Bertrand, and grandson, Pierre-Louis.
A cold case review into her death is ongoing.
No justice
In January last year, murder suspect Ian Bailey died at the age of 66 after he collapsed in Bantry, West Cork.
Although he was arrested and questioned twice by Gardaí investigating Ms Tuscon de Plantier’s death, Bailey was never charged.
He always maintained his innocence but he was convicted in absentia by a French court in 2019.
Ian Bailey is seen in Skibbereen, Cork in June 2019. Picture by: aphperspective / Alamy Stock PhotoIreland declined to extradite him and, in the words of his solicitor, he died a 'lonely and sad individual'.
Following his death, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Ireland’s legal system had “proved incapable of meeting its responsibilities to Sophie”.
He also said that the “the evidence against the main suspect was broad and deep” and that Bailey - who had admitted to beating his former partner several times - was a “violent man”.
Main image: A still of Sophie Toscan du Plantier from the Netflix documentary 'Sophie: A Murder in West Cork'. Image: Netflix
