John Napoletani, 50, was discovered lying in a pool of blood on Sunday morning, reports Russell Myers in Dole, France
A British man found dead in a car park next to budget hotel in France may have suffered fatal injuries after tragically falling over drunk and hitting his head, police have said.
John Napoletani, 50, was discovered lying in a pool of blood with a serious head wound on Sunday morning.
Detectives had worked on an initial theory that he had been murdered, but now believe he was killed after collapsing and hitting his head on a concrete floor after drinking heavily.
Mr Napoletani and his wife Evelyn, from Colchester, Essex, had been returning from holiday in Italy with a male friend before they stopped at the budget Formule 1 hotel in Dole, eastern France, on Saturday night.
The trio were seen sitting outside the hotel drinking with other guests at about 9pm that evening.
They returned to their shared £25-a-night room at around midnight, but Mr Napoletani then went out again alone “to get some air”, police said.
His wife waited until early on Sunday morning before calling the police, and his body was found at 9am on Sunday in a car park on the Epenottes industrial estate just yards from the hotel.
Their Renault Espace car was parked outside the with a “large quantity of wine from Italy” inside, officials revealed.
A police spokesman said: “Mr Napoletani went out on Saturday night for some air and never came back.
“His body was found the next morning in a covered area near the hotel car park, but out of public view.
“He had a large head wound which we believe to be the cause of death.
“Our initial theory is that he was murdered, but they had all been drinking heavily, with the third man in a state of intoxication when we spoke to him on Sunday. He was taken to hospital.”
The Napoletanis had been married for 28 years, came from Colchester, Essex.
Devastated wife Evelyn visited the scene today accompanied by family members but was too distressed to comment on the tragedy.
Forensic officers were seen emptying a large recycling bin for an hour today next to where the body was discovered in the Epenottes industrial estate in Dole, a town near Dijon, in the Jura department of the Franche-Comte region.
The scenes of crime officers did not appear to take any evidence away from the scene and confirmed no possible murder weapon was found.
An autopsy was expected to be carried out today but results were not immediately available.
The British Embassy in Paris has been informed about the incident and is liaising with Mr Napolitani’s family.
