Eighty-five-year-old French national Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé has been released from U.S. immigration custody in Alabama after spending 16 days detained, according to confirmation from Paris. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated the French government expressed deep concern over the case, citing “acts of violence” surrounding her detention.

Ross-Mahé arrived in France Friday, greeted by her children, reportedly exhausted and still wearing stained prison attire. Her arrest followed the unexpected death of her husband, a former G.I. she married last year after reconnecting. Her husband died without a will, immediately sparking a severe inheritance dispute with his stepsons.

One stepsons, identified as the son of the deceased and a retired Alabama state trooper, allegedly initiated the April 1 arrest, which occurred while she was dressed only in nightwear. The situation draws attention to how civil disputes, particularly probate matters involving non-citizens, can escalate quickly into immigration enforcement actions.

Her return provides a resolution to a diplomatic issue that drew official French government attention. The immediate focus shifts to the unresolved estate matters in Anniston, Alabama, involving the late Mr. Ross’s property and the involved family members.