Katoucha Niane’s body may have been found at last. Her mysterious disappearence almost a month ago raised lots of suspicions. Among them, a theory that she might have fallen over her boathouse and into the seine.
Katoucha Niane’s body may have been found at last. Her mysterious disappearence almost a month ago raised lots of suspicions. Among them, a theory that she might have fallen over her boathouse and into the seine.
The alert was given by a passer-by who noticed a floating body in the seine around the pont (brigde) Garigliano area, Thursday. The police department, which opened an inquiry following her disappearance a month ago, confirmed that the corpse was clothed in the same dress she was described as wearing the last time she was seen. Police investigation is still underway.
Earlier, her handbag which had been found close to her boat had prompted some to conclude that she might have fallen into the seine after reports indicated that she might have been a bit tipsy, leading the police to say that all hypothesis “of accidental or suicidal nature” were being examined.
The ex-super model from Guinea, Katoucha Niane, a mother of three, also known as “La Princesse Peul” when she graced the catwalks, was Yves Saint Laurent’s muse. The daughter of the author and historian Djibril Tamsir Niane was born in 1960.
Katoucha has been very instrumental in the fight against female circumcision, having been herself a victim to the age old practice when she was nine years old. Her fight against this brutal practice gave her the impetus to start her own organisation (KLPCE, i.e, Katoucha for the fight againt female circumcision) to create awareness. In September 2007 she published a book titled “Dans ma chair” (in my skin) in which talks about her childhood and the brutal practice.
