Police have formally wrapped up their investigation into the double homicide at the Edition Hotel, with the case now sitting with the District Prosecutor, according to RÚV. The accused woman, who told officers at the scene that she had carried out the killings, has since withdrawn that statement and denies any wrongdoing.
Last summer, staff at the Edition Hotel in Reykjavík called police after a woman reported she had been hurt in a shower fall. When officers arrived, they found the bodies of a French father and his adult daughter. The woman — the wife and mother — was arrested on suspicion of murder. It has now been 220 days since that call was made.
Court documents reveal what police encountered on their way to the scene. Hotel staff described a woman with a stab wound to the chest who was bleeding heavily, and an unconscious man lying on the floor beneath a sheet.
Inside the room, a hotel employee led officers to the woman, who was on the floor. She told them in English, “I killed two people.” Her husband and daughter were beside her, both with visible stab wounds. Blood covered the room — towels and clothing soaked and scattered across the floor.
Among the evidence gathered is an email the husband sent to relatives just days before the deaths. In it, he told them there was no need to worry about the future — a detail investigators have since found significant.
The woman was held in pretrial detention, but the Court of Appeal later overturned that decision, ruling there was no pressing investigative need to keep her in custody. She was released under a travel ban and continues to deny all charges.
Insights from the Court Ruling
Court documents describe a French couple and their adult daughter who had been living in Dublin for several years. They were due to fly back to Ireland on the morning hotel staff found them — just another short trip to Iceland, by all appearances.
The family kept a low profile. They had no meaningful social media presence, and their phones were found to be unusually empty. The man came from considerable wealth, with assets valued in the billions of ISK, and there had been long-running inheritance disputes within the family. His sister came forward voluntarily to tell investigators that he had exercised significant control over his marriage.
During pretrial proceedings, the court ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the woman. She said she had no memory of the events, and objected to the assessment — but the court approved it regardless. The evaluation found no indication of mental illness or legal incompetence, as reported by RÚV.
Next Steps in the Process
The conclusion of the investigation was announced this past Monday. Investigators described the case as unusually complex. Because the woman was under a travel ban rather than held in custody, the inquiry could run longer without the time pressure that pretrial detention typically creates. Police worked closely with Irish and French authorities throughout — officers in Ireland interviewed family members and searched the family home in Dublin.
For the Capital Area Police, this case has no real precedent. Even veteran officers say they have not seen anything quite like it. The matter now rests with the District Prosecutor, and a trial is expected, though the timeline remains unclear. In the meantime, the accused woman is required to check in at a designated police station twice a week.
