Missing French Chef's Body Found in Freezer, Jean-Francois Poinard's Ex-Lover Charged

NEW YORK (CBS) The body of renowned French chef, Jean-Francois Poinard, was found in a freezer in an apartment in Lyon, France on Tuesday, according to French officials.

Police discovered the 71-year-old's frozen corpse after Guylene Collober, Poinard's former girlfriend, confessed to her daughter that "something unfortunate" had happened to her lover, according to UK paper The Telegraph.

The daughter then reportedly tipped police, who raided the apartment.

When investigators arrived at her home Collober started to cry and told them "I think you'll find what you're looking for," according to MSNBC.

Officials say Poinard's body was found hidden in a chest freezer wrapped with plastic in the fetal position.

"An initial examination suggests it could have been there for up to two years," a spokesperson told The Telegraph.

The 51-year-old was charged with concealing a body, but could face more charges pending the autopsy, the UK paper reports.

Lyon newspaper Le Progres described Poinard as one of the city's "great names" in gastronomy, the study of relationships between culture and food.

"He was [a] passionate and exacting chef, but also a true 'bon viveur' who was as well liked out of the kitchen as he was respected inside it," the French paper reported.