New homeowners unfortunately discover what happened to previous owner who vanished 15 years ago

A couple were in the midst of renovations on their new home in eastern France when they accidentally solved the mystery of what happened to one of the prior owners. The couple had purchased the house from the estate of a recently deceased woman whose husband, Aloïs Iffly, had vanished 15 years prior. At the time, police apparently conducted multiple searches in the area for the Iffly who was 81-years-old at the time. Eventually, the case went cold and the house finally sold.

When the new owners were looking for the source of a leak in the roof, they entered a cubbyhole and found a skeleton inside, most likely Iffly's remains.

From CBS News:

Local police are investigating the cause of death, and the remains have been sent to Strasbourg for forensic examination, Squadron Leader Benoit Vautrin said, according to regional newspaper Le Republicain Lorrain[…]

"The scene where the body was found hints at suicide," prosecutor [Olivier] Glady said, adding that a rope was found still hanging in the attic.