The CEO of the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps, Nathalie Maillet, was found dead in her home in the early hours of Sunday alongside her husband and another woman in what is suspected to be a femicide.
Véronique Léonard, the mayor of Gouvy in the Luxembourg province, where Maillet's home is located, had confirmed to the Belga news agency on Sunday that she had been alerted by the police of a double murder followed by a suicide.
"According to the first information received, the male individual used his weapon on the two women, including his wife, causing their deaths, before taking his own life," the Office of the Public Prosecutor (OPP) of Luxembourg said in a statement.
All three bodies had bullet wounds. The OPP added that an official investigation had been launched into the incident.
An investigating judge, prosecutor, forensic doctor, ballistics expert, and the police technical and scientific laboratory all visited the scene on Sunday.
'A true leader'
The news came during the middle of a day of competition on the race track, as the 2021 Ypres Rally, a motor racing event for rally cars, was taking place.
The team of the Spa Francorchamps circuit said they had been informed of Maillet's death and expressed their condolences to family and friends in a statement on Sunday.
"My thoughts are with Nathalie's family, her parents, her loved ones, and her teams. I know how much this news will upset our teams and I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the entire Circuit team on behalf of the entire Board," Melchior Wathelet, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Circuit said.
"Today, we are losing a highly respected lady, a true leader who will be greatly missed. Nathalie had become the face of the Circuit, she embodied the passion for racing that we all share," Wathelet added.
The World Governing Body for motorcycle sport (FIM) also expressed their condolences on Twitter on Sunday, saying "the FIM and all the team at Eurosport Events share in the sorrow of her near and dear ones and of the team at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit."
⚫️ Nathalie Maillet, CEO of Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, has passed away.
The FIM and all the team at Eurosport Events share in the sorrow of her near and dear ones and of the team at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Read more: https://t.co/VX83GT2ITG pic.twitter.com/tUzeMj1SP7 — FIM (@FIM_live) August 15, 2021
Maillet was appointed CEO of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in June 2016, after growing up on the track as the daughter of a racing driver, immersed in the world of motor racing from an early age.
She herself enrolled in racing school and won her first Fun Cup in 2006, after which she was runner-up during several competitions.
The Brussels Times
