Father hears about son’s tragic death months late – then hospital issues shock demand | World | News

Laurent Simon, a resident of Saint-Maurice-Colombier, near Montbéliard in eastern France, was first given the devastating news of the death of his son, Ange, in September 2025.

However, Ange, a 39-year-old homeless man, had actually died a few months earlier, in April. His body had been kept at Bordeaux University Hospital during that time, and the hospital is now demanding €3,800 (around £3,310) from his father, reports ICI Belfort Montbéliard.

Ange’s body was discovered inside a car at a car park in the town of Bouliac, near Bordeaux. The young man had a strained relationship with his family after struggling with addiction.

Laurent Simon therefore only heard about his son’s death due to “a rumour spread” by people who were close to him, the media outlet reports, which prompted the father to contact Belfort Town Hall and enquire about a death certificate.

He then had it confirmed that his son’s body had been at Bordeaux University Hospital for several months, in the hospital mortuary. His remains were about to be buried in the “poor people’s plot” of the municipal cemetery, ICI reports.

The heartbreaking situation has become even more difficult for Laurent Simon to accept given that the hospital has sent him a bill for storage costs.

“If they’d told me in the days following his death, I would have come straight away and sorted things out with the funeral home,” he said.

In response, the hospital issued a statement to ICI, which read: “Bordeaux University Hospital understands the distress this situation may cause.

« However, it should be noted that the hospital has neither the responsibility nor the authority to trace the families of the deceased. This is a matter for other authorities.”

The management of the Bordeaux University Hospital continued: “With regard to billing, the costs incurred relate to the storage of the body in the mortuary for an extended period.

« These costs fall within the scope of funeral expenses. As the costs of storing the body are legally treated as funeral expenses, they remain payable under the conditions laid down by law.”

Under French law, hospitals are under no obligation to track down the relatives of a deceased person, as this is the responsibility of the administrative authorities. Bodies are kept in the mortuary free of charge for only a few days (between three and six), after which a fee is charged.

These costs are legally treated as funeral expenses, payable by the heirs. If no family can be identified, the local council will organise a funeral, but it may eventually seek reimbursement of the costs from the relatives if they are found.

According to the campaign group Les Morts de la Rue, this tragic situation is not an isolated case. Relatives of homeless people may only learn of their family member’s death at a late stage, due to a lack of contact. The group points out that in 2025, 956 homeless people died on the streets in France.