The body of Alison Erb, 49, was found at her home in the picturesque French village of Roppentzwiller, near the Swiss border, alongside that of her partner Loreto Di Salvatore
The family of a British woman shot dead in France say she had been inundated with death threats from her estranged husband in the months leading up to her death.
Alison Erb, 49, was found dead at her home in the idyllic village of Roppentzwiller, near the Swiss border, alongside her partner Loreto Di Salvatore. She was in the process of divorcing her estranged husband, Olivier Erb – a serving police officer – who according to French media, had twice been investigated on suspicion of abusing and harassing his wife. Mr Erb has admitted “liability” for the killings and is in custody awaiting a trial.
Alison’s sister, who still lives in Norfolk, said she was sent threatening messages in the months leading up to her death in May 2023. She said: “Alison had described the death threats that Olivier made. I would urge her to leave.
“During the last months before her death, I would ask her to come with Loreto and her daughter Lana and live with us until things settled down in France. My understanding and impression of Alison’s and Olivier relationship over the years is that Olivier was a bully.
“Ali worked very hard to manage working life and bringing up the children. It was important to her to always have her own money. Ali always hoped that over time Olivier would become less irritable.”
She said she spoke with her sister “most days” but missed a call from her the night before she was found dead. She then heard about the tragic news in another call from a family member, who told her: “He’s done it, he’s killed her.”
The bodies of Alison and Mr Di Salvatore were found on May 25, 2023, in their flat they shared above the town hall in Roppentzwiller. According to French media, firefighters made the gruesome discovery when they entered the building through a balcony after neighbours raised the alarm about dogs barking in the building.
Police launched an investigation and found Alison, a nursery manager, and Mr Di Salvatore had been shot three times each, with a small-calibre revolver found at the scene. In CCTV footage recovered by police, Mrs Erb was seen leaving the property while a masked and gloved man was captured entering the property.
The mum-of-three was shot on the stairs leading up to the flat when she returned eight minutes later, before the killer fled via a skylight. Mr Erb, who lived in nearby Wittenheim and worked for a police dog unit, was indicted for murder almost two weeks later. Although Erb is in custody and has admitted liability for the deaths, under the French justice system he is still waiting for a judge to decide what charges he will face.
The 50-year-old, who is understood to have still been a serving with the police at the time of the deaths, was previously investigated for verbal abuse in 2020 and malicious calls in 2022, both in relation to Alison. At the time of the killings, he was banned from visiting her home or contacting her and both victims had told relatives of their concerns about him, French media reports.
Alison grew up in Worstead and Smallburgh in Norfolk before moving across the Channel in 1995 to work for a large family with several small children living in the Alsace region. She later married Erb and the couple had three children, two daughters, now aged 26 and 15 and a son, 27.
Her sister said she had been “unable to attend” the “rather swiftly organised wedding” as she had been overseas at the time. She said her aunt and mother attended the “very small wedding”. When she visited Alison in France, she could see her sister was a “wonderful mother” who loved living there, although as Olivier worked nights, she did not often see him. “I often would question Ali about his tone. He often sounded irritated,” she said. “I do not speak French, but the atmosphere when he was around was often tense.”
At the time of Alison’s death, she had been managing a nursery in nearby Switzerland and had hoped to build a new life there with Mr Di Salvatore, 51. Alison’s sister said her sibling met Mr Di Salvatore at a stables. They were to find they they shared many common interests, including horses, dining out, travel and music. The sister said: “I met Loreto. He was a very kind, intelligent and humble man. All he wanted to do was love and protect my sister.”
She said although Mr Di Salvatore wanted to protect her sister, the police in France were unable to. The sister added: “The police failed to protect Alison and Loreto. Olivier’s movements should have been monitored. There was a restraining order in place that Olivier broke on many occasions. For three years Alison and Loreto were living in fear. Over those three years Olivier committed assault, threatened violence and sent intimidating messages.”
Alison’s sister said her much loved sibling had a “huge heart”. She said: “Alison was incredibly witty. We could chat and laugh for hours. Her bravery to still have a sense of humour and see beyond what she was going through was remarkable.”
