French TV producer. Sophie had married on 21 June 1980 and divorced on 13 April 1983; one son born in 1981. She made a second marriage to TV producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier (his third marriage), on 18 June 1991.
On 20 December 1996 Sophie went to her isolated holiday home in Ireland, located between Schull and Goleen, to spend Christmas. She had booked an open-ended ticket but appears to have changed her mind and decided to return to Paris on December 24th. She was last known to be alive at 11.30 PM on 22 December when she phoned her husband in France. Her body was found 11 hours later and it was another 24 hours before a post mortem was conducted. As a result of this delay, it was not possible to establish the time of death. The investigation has been hindered by limited medical and forensic evidence.
An inquest heard medical evidence that she had been severely beaten and had received massive internal injuries. The body of the dead woman was found, badly battered, on a footpath near the gate of her holiday home at Toormore on the Mizen peninsula on 23 December at 10:30 AM. She had died from a fractured skull following a blow to the head, probably on the prior day. The motive has never been established and her death still remains a mystery.
An English-born journalist living in West Cork was arrested and questioned in 1997 and 1998. On both occasions he was released without charge. No charges were ever brought against her husband, Daniel Toscan du Plantier.
Link to Wikipedia biography