The Gravedigger of Paris: The Chilling True Story of Nico Claux, the Vampire Cannibal

Nico Claux was born on March 22, 1972, in Cameroon. When he was a young boy, his parents moved to Paris in search of a better life. From an early age, Nico was quiet, withdrawn, and strangely fascinated by death. He didn’t have many friends and often preferred to spend time alone.

When he was ten, his grandfather died from a pulmonary embolism — an event that left a deep emotional mark. From that point, Nico’s obsession with death only grew stronger. By sixteen, he was spending most of his free time wandering through the cemeteries of Paris, finding a strange sense of peace among the graves.

After finishing school, Nico drifted between different jobs, never finding satisfaction until he landed what he called his dream job: a position in a Paris morgue. His responsibility was to sew up bodies after autopsies were completed. Left alone at night with the dead, Nico’s disturbing fantasies took over. He began to cut off small pieces of human flesh and secretly consume them, describing the act as “an irresistible curiosity.”

While also working part-time in a hospital surgical ward, Nico started stealing bags of donated blood, which he later drank alone. These behaviors gradually blurred the line between fascination and madness.

On October 4, 1994, Nico decided to take his fantasies further. He met a man and followed him home. Once inside the apartment, Nico shot him multiple times, then calmly sat on the couch and watched him die. Afterward, he stole the man’s wallet, driver’s license, and checkbook before fleeing the scene.

A few weeks later, Nico replaced the photo on the victim’s ID with his own and attempted to use it to buy a video recorder. The store clerk, suspicious of his behavior, reported the incident to the police.

On November 15, 1994, Nico was arrested by chance after getting into a street altercation. During questioning, police connected him to the murder. What followed shocked investigators — Nico confessed to acts of cannibalism, grave robbery, and blood drinking, describing every detail with a disturbing calmness.

He told police that he would open graves and steal body parts to keep as “souvenirs.” He also admitted to stealing corpses from the morgue and experimenting with them out of morbid curiosity.

Despite the horror of his crimes, the French court sentenced him to twelve years in prison, citing his psychological instability. Nico served seven years and four months before being released.

After his release, Nico Claux became a dark celebrity. He began working with journalists and documentary filmmakers, openly discussing his crimes, his fascination with death, and his so-called “vampiric” lifestyle.

Today, he continues to give interviews, sell morbid artwork, and participate in media projects — showing little remorse for his past. To some, he’s a deeply disturbed man who never received proper treatment. To others, he remains a chilling reminder of how obsession can turn into monstrosity.

Known worldwide as “The Vampire of Paris,” Nico Claux’s story stands as one of the most unsettling cases in French criminal history — a haunting mix of psychological horror, real crime, and the darkness that can live inside the human mind.