Agnès, a waitress and mother, survived a suspected murder attempt in 2011, allegedly poisoned by her close associate, 79-year-old Claudine C. After falling ill post-lunch with Claudine, Agnès lapsed into a coma, later diagnosed with Aldicarb poisoning. Investigations revealed Claudine’s financial motives, including multiple life insurance policies naming her as the beneficiary. Despite her claims of innocence, Claudine faces serious charges and has a criminal history, raising suspicions about past mysterious deaths linked to her.
Agnès: A Survivor’s Tale of Suspicion and Survival
Agnès is nothing short of a miracle. This fashionable waitress and devoted mother experienced a harrowing near-death experience in 2011 when she became the target of an alleged murder attempt. At the heart of the investigation was Claudine C., a 79-year-old woman with whom Agnès shared a close bond. Family members have hinted that Claudine may have deeper secrets lurking beneath the surface.
“My doctor informed me that I was poisoned with a lethal toxin. It’s unfathomable to me; I have no enemies, no debts—why would anyone want to poison me?” Agnès reflects in a recent report, recalling the terrifying ordeal that left her in a coma for several days. At the time, she lived in a shared apartment in Bordeaux owned by Claudine, whom she regarded as an aunt. Claudine had just visited for lunch right before Agnès fell ill, leading to her hospitalization.
The Horrific Symptoms and Medical Mystery
“I still remember waking up in the hospital, intubated,” Agnès describes. “I had been on a strict diet for two months, and Claudine offered to make me a dessert. I suggested cottage cheese, and she said she would add fresh blackberries she had picked. While she grated vanilla for flavor, I was suddenly struck with intense stomach cramps,” she recalls, adding that she also experienced “cold sweats.” Agnès felt nauseated and desperately needed to rush to the bathroom, fearing she might suffocate.
After being hurried to the hospital, Agnès lapsed into a coma for four days, with doctors baffled by her condition. Upon her discharge, she asked Claudine to pick her up, and Claudine invited her to rest at her countryside home. “The setting in Cézac was lovely, and I thought a dip in the pool would help. But then, a migraine hit. Claudine offered me an Efferalgan, but soon after taking it, I was hit with the same dreadful symptoms—cramps, excruciating pain, and nausea. I woke up once again intubated in the hospital,” she recounts. It was during this second hospitalization that toxicology tests revealed Agnès had ingested Aldicarb, a deadly pesticide.
In a report from “7 à 8,” Claudine C. shared her perspective with investigators, suggesting that she had a financial arrangement with Agnès. “I was banned from the bank, so when I needed a check, she would write it for me, and in return, I gave her cash,” Claudine explained, admitting to using Agnès’s bank card during her hospitalization. “I did use her credit card, but it was necessary,” she insisted, adding, “She can believe what she wants; I know I didn’t harm her.”
While investigators found no poison in Claudine’s home, they uncovered bank documents belonging to Agnès and discovered the existence of eight life insurance policies in her name, all naming Claudine as the beneficiary. Agnès alleges that Claudine impersonated her to create these insurance files. “You can sign up for them online without needing to meet in person,” she explains. Claudine suggested a blood test to check for deficiencies due to Agnès’s strict diet. “She promised her nurse would come to take the blood, and somehow, she managed to gather all the necessary information to enroll in multiple insurance plans,” Agnès details. If Agnès had not survived, each policy could have yielded Claudine between €50,000 and €400,000.
Despite her claims of innocence, Claudine C. has been charged and is currently incarcerated in the Draguignan detention center. This is not her first time in prison, as she has a history of twenty convictions. The allegations surrounding Agnès’s poisoning have ignited wild speculation about past deaths in Claudine’s life.
Initially, Claudine’s family suspected her late husband Maurice, who died suddenly at 61 after showing similar symptoms to Agnès. Other mysterious deaths include Claudine’s mother and her partner, who passed away months after Maurice. In 2011, Claudine’s brother filed a complaint against her after experiencing a similar illness following coffee with her during a dispute over their parents’ inheritance. The so-called “poisoning grandma” is set to appear before the Gironde Assize Court next summer, facing a potential life sentence, though she remains presumed innocent.