French woman found living with dead mother

A reclusive middle-aged woman in France has been found to be living alongside the badly decomposed body of her elderly mother who is thought to have died several years ago.

Officers discovered the corpse in the women's shared home in the village of Mael-Carhaix in the northwestern Brittany region on Friday, deputy prosecutor Patrick Lewden told AFP, confirming local media reports.

"This person had not been seen since 2010," Lewden said, adding that an autopsy would be carried out to determine when she died.

The deceased woman was born in 1921. She lived alone with her 66-year-old daughter, who appeared to be suffering from mental health problems.

"Considering her mental state, (the daughter) had to be taken to a psychiatric hospital. She is very confused and could not be questioned," Lewden said.

Police searched the women's house after local authorities expressed concern about the mother's apparent disappearance.