PARIS (AP) 鈥� An investigation was opened following the death last week of a French actress who was among those accusing movie star G茅rard Depardieu of sexual misconduct, the Paris prosecutor鈥檚 office said Thursday.
Actress Emmanuelle Debever published a post on Facebook in 2019 that Depardieu had groped her in 1982 while they were acting together for the film 鈥淒anton.鈥�
Debever鈥檚 partner told police on Nov. 29 she left their home, leaving a 鈥渨orrying鈥� written note, the Paris prosecutor鈥檚 office said. She later jumped from a Paris bridge into the Seine river, was given emergency care by rescuers and transported to a hospital, the prosecutor's office said.
She died Dec. 7 at the age of 60, according to press reports.
On the same day, an on national TV channel France 2 about accusations of sexual misconduct against Depardieu, which included footage of him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.
Depardieu, 74, has been since December 2020 for rape and sexual assault, reportedly at his Paris home, following allegations from actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018. He has denied any criminal conduct.
In October, Depardieu published an open letter in the French newspaper Le Figaro that said, 鈥淚 want to tell you the truth. I have never, ever abused a woman."
The Paris prosecutor's office said that, given Debever's accusations against Depardieu, an investigation into the causes of death has been open 鈥� procedure in France when causes of death are unknown or suspicious.
French investigative news website Mediapart earlier this year published information saying that Depardieu has been accused of 13 women. The France 2 documentary claims the number of accusers now stands at 16.
The Associated Press
