British woman and her partner shot dead in flat in France 'by her estranged husband' after moving to country to start new life

The body of Alison Erb, 49, was found alongside Loreto Di Salvatore in their flat in the centre of Roppentzwiller, a pretty village in the east of the country. Her estranged husband, Olivier Erb - a serving police officer - was arrested by colleagues and will stand trial.

The deaths happened in May 2023. Although Erb was arrested at the time, he was initially released because of a lack of evidence, reports claim.

Eight detectives conducted 150 interviews of witnesses, friends and relatives. During the investigation, it is understood officers discovered CCTV footage from a camera that Alison had installed in her home showing a hooded man in black clothing and gloves entering the flat shortly after she had departed.

It is alleged Erb then murdered Mr Di Salvatore and, when Alison returned minutes later, he turned his attention to his estranged spouse with whom he shared two daughters aged 26 and 15, and a 24-year-old son.

A restraining order was taken out against Erb, 50, who was in the process of divorcing his estranged wife when he allegedly shot her and Mr Di Salvatore. Erb has been charged with two counts of murder.

Alison grew up in Norfolk, where she studied nursery nursing and worked as a nanny, before moving to France in 1995 to work for a family in the Alsace region. The mum of three had been managing a nursery in Switzerland at the time of her death and Di Salvatore was building a house for them to live in, The Times reports.

Alison’s sister, who lives in Norfolk, said her death has left "a gaping hole in so many people’s lives" and Alison had finally found "true love" with Mr Di Salvatore. A spokesman for Norfolk police said that Alison’s family are “being supported by a specially trained family liaison officer."