Cause of death of Brazilian found in River Seine was drowning, says friend

“The police’s hypothesis was very clear. We waited for the body to appear in the Seine, which could take up to six months or not happen at all due to the body’s decomposition. We had this confirmation yesterday from the consulate, who informed the family and informed me”, reported the friend.

Remember the case

Flávio arrived in Paris on November 1st to photograph the wedding of a Brazilian friend three days later. He carried out the work in partnership with his partner, Lucien Esteban, who returned to Minas Gerais on November 8, where they both managed the company Toujours Fotografia.

The photographer, who knew France, spoke the language fluently and had friends in the capital. He arranged to stay for a few more weeks with a flight back to Brazil on November 26, the day he fell into the River Seine for the first time.

According to reports at the time, the accident would have been a few meters from the Eiffel Tower. Flávio was then treated at the Georges Pompidou hospital, also nearby. The photographer had hypothermia and was discharged around noon. Apparently conscious, Flávio would have asked to extend his stay in the rented apartment in the 13th district, close to Praça de Itália, by another day.

But the next day, after hours of no contact from Flávio, friends in Paris alerted Lucien Esteban and the photographer’s family in Brazil. When trying to contact Flávio by phone, employees at the Les Ondes restaurant, in the 16th district of the capital, found the miner’s cell phone in a plant pot and answered the call. The restaurant is a few meters from the riverbank, where the photographer probably fell.