A man was found beheaded by French hunters on Christmas Day, 1995. His widow has just been charged.

French authorities on Thursday charged a woman with involvement in the murder of her husband almost 27 years after he was found beheaded in a crime that has remained unsolved ever since.

Christophe Doire, 28, was found beheaded on Christmas Day, 1995 around the town of Busset in the Auvergne region of central France.

Regional prosecutor Eric Neveu said the widow, 56, who has not been named, had been detained on Tuesday and then charged Thursday by a magistrate and remanded in custody.