The mystery of what happened to apocalyptic cult leader Luc Jouret has been solved: He died with his followers.
Jouret's remains were identified as among 25 charred corpses in an Alpine chalet, Swiss police said Thursday. In all, 53 cult members died in two
countries. Police had issued an international warrant for the sect's 46-year-old Belgian leader on suspicion of premeditated murder and arson in connection with the mass deaths last week of members of the Order of the Solar Temple
cult. Police had also issued homicide warrants for another cult leader, Joseph di Mambro, after the bodies were found at burned-out chalets and a farm in Switzerland and in Canada.
On Monday, Swiss police confirmed that di Mambro, a 70-year-old French-Canadian, was among
the dead at the three chalets in Grange-sur-Salvan.
Jouret was found there, too, as was di Mambro's son, Elie, police said
Thursday. Announcement of Jouret's death means all the presumed leaders of the doomsday cult perished.
But the puzzle surrounding the deaths may never be solved.
The cult has been linked in unconfirmed reports to arms smuggling and money laundering. There was reportedly a split between the Canadian and Swiss branches and infighting between sect leaders.
Swiss police have said many of the 48 victims in Switzerland were murdered. Of the five deaths at the chalet 50 miles north of Montreal, two were thought to be suicides.
Jouret, who lived in Switzerland and Canada, was described by acquaintances as a charistmatic man of erudition, accomplishment and wealth who preached a complex theology including the belief that the world is on the verge of
annihilation. He was believed to have fled to Switzerland last year after being charged with weapons possession and conspiracy in Canada.
Initially, there had been speculation that he may have committed some of the murders. Several of the bodies were found riddled with bullets and with plastic bags over their heads.
But the death of a the cult's treasurer earlier this week ignited speculation that Jouret was more likely dead than on the run.
The fate of another key figure, Jean-Pierre Vinet, a Quebec businessmen reportedly close to Jouret, remains a puzzle.