What happened to Blanche Monnier?
Blanche Monnier was a woman from Poitiers, France who was secretly kept locked in a small room by her aristocratic mother and brother for 25 years. She was eventually found by police, but was middle aged by this point, and in a bad condition. She had not seen any sunlight for the entirety of her captivity.
Monnier was a French socialite born on 1 March 1849. She was known for her beauty and attracted many potential suitors for marriage. In 1876, she was 27, and wanted to marry an older lawyer who her mother didn’t approve of. Blanche defied her mother so she locked her in a tiny, dark room in the attic of their home.
She was kept secluded for 25 years while her mother and brother continued with their lives, and claimed Blanche had disappeared.
What happened during Monnier’s rescue?
On 23 May 1901, the Paris Attorney General received an anonymous letter, that revealed where Monnier was. The police arrived at the Monnier house, and were naturally not welcomed with open arms by Blanche’s mother, with investigators having to force their way into the property. The police noticed a vile odour coming from upstairs, and they followed the smell towards a padlocked door. The police broke down the door and discovered Blanche Monnier.
Monnier weighed less than 25 kilograms, and had been living in horrific conditions. Blanche was transported to a hospital, while other officers placed her mother and brother under arrest. Hospital staff treated Blanche who was severely malnourished and it was remarkable that she was still alive.
While under arrest, Blanche’s mother became ill and died 15 days later. Her brother, Marcel Monnier was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his involvement in the crime. He was eventually acquitted due to his controversial claims that Blanche could’ve left whenever she wanted to. Shockingly, a “duty to rescue” law did not exist in the region at the time of Blanche’s captivity, which clearly helped in Marcel’s appeal.
What happened in Monnier’s final years?
Blanche Monnier’s life would sadly never return to normal, and it’s understandable after being locked away for 25 years. She did show some improvement over time, but the damage to her mental state proved too severe for her to integrate with normal society.
She was diagnosed with various disorders, including schizophrenia, coprophilia and anorexia. She ended up in a psychiatric facility, and died on 13th October 1913. She was 64 years old when she passed away.
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