In the summer of 1990, in France, a gay pastor would be spirited away by supposed police officers and later be found dead, possibly the victim of a nefarious conspiracy.
Joseph Doucé had been born to a Catholic family in Belgium, but in later years converted to the Baptist faith, studied to become a pastor, and eventually settled in Paris. He was also interested in psychology, particularly sexual psychology, and in 1976 founded an organization known as the Centre du Christ Libérateur, or CCL. Its stated goal was to provide a support network for sexual minorities, helping them obtain various social services. He also performed blessing ceremonies for both gay and straight couples, published several books on topics of sexual diversity, helped to pass laws prohibiting discrimination against transgender individuals, and was instrumental in educating people about the then fairly new AIDS epidemic. Though he was a controversial figure for many reasons—not least of which was the fact that he wrote about and held support meetings for pedophiles—his work was undoubtedly a crucial component in the acceptance of those in society with differing sexual identities.
By the late 1980s, Joseph and his partner Guy Bondar had opened a book store in Paris called Autres Cultures (Different Cultures), which sold rare volumes on various sexual topics. The shop had been the target of vandalism on more than one occasion, including rocks thrown through the windows, but on the evening of July 19th, 1990, something much more ominous seemed to be afoot.
Two men in plain clothes knocked on the door of the book shop, flashed badges, and told Joseph that they were police officers, and that he would need to accompany them to the station for questioning. Joseph, likely wary but trusting enough, went with them. He was never seen alive again.
On October 24th, 1990, the decomposed body of forty-five-year-old Joseph Doucé was discovered in a remote area in the forest of Fountainebleau, southwest of Paris. Though his remains were far too degraded to determine cause of death, there was speculation that he had been strangled.
Over the years, the most persistent theory concerning the death of Joseph Doucé was that he was targeted by the Rensignements Generaux, or RG, the branch of the French police that dealt with political matters. The RG at the time was rumored to be irredeemably corrupt, and there have since been whispers that they had been keeping Joseph Doucé’s book store under surveillance and had been tapping his phone. One of the inspectors who was allegedly keeping tabs on Joseph Doucé, Jean-Marc Dufourg, was reportedly later fired from his position and subsequently convicted of falsifying documents and misusing a firearm.
In fact, in the wake of Joseph Doucé’s murder and the suspicions surrounding the RG, the French interior minister later disbanded the branch, but probes into the organization did little to solve the shocking slaying of Joseph Doucé, and the crime remains unresolved to this day.
Crime Immemorial 