NATCHEZ — Members of the European press traveled to Natchez last week in an effort to see if a local man nearly two years dead was involved in an international murder conspiracy.

The story began Sept. 5, 2012, in France, when a British family of Iraqi heritage, Saad Al-Hilli, 50, his wife Iqbal Al-Hilli, 47, and Saad’s mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, were killed after someone shot their car numerous times. Two children, aged 7 and 5, survived the attack. The family was on vacation in the French Alps.

Why the family was killed — and who did it — baffled French officials and captured the imagination of the British population, and has never been solved.

Then, last week French officials improbably tied the case to a Natchez man, James Thompson, who had briefly been married to Iqbal Al-Hilli in the late 1990s.

No physical or circumstantial evidence ties Thompson to the killings, but French authorities are puzzled by a specific detail about Thompson’s life — he died the same day as his former wife at age 60.

Some media outlets within the English press have published speculations Thompson was killed by a poison dart — including quotes attributed to some of his family members speculating the same — but Thompson’s death was treated locally as tragic but not extraordinary.

He was found slumped at the wheel of his car the afternoon he died of an apparent heart attack.

Thompson’s family members could not be reached for comment this week, but his daughter had comments published elsewhere saying Thompson was a biker who enjoyed smoking cigars and had high blood pressure, and she believed his death was related to health issues.

That was the conclusion at least one member of the foreign press came to as well.

“This was a huge international story in Europe, the shocking massacre of a seemingly lovely family from Britain on a normal holiday in a beautiful part of France,” said Daily Mail Online correspondent Ryan Parry, who is based in New York City.

“When the police suddenly came out and announced Iqbal had this secret husband, no one has heard about before in the U.S., in Mississippi, we as reporters headed out to find out what it was all about.”

But after talking to people who knew Thompson, Parry said his conclusion is the official story of Thompson’s death is certainly the correct one.

“There was nothing untoward about the situation — he had a heart attack,” Parry said. “Natchez was a very lovely, wonderful place, but unfortunately the international murder mystery hasn’t really found a new lead, just an incredible coincidence.”

Parry said everyone he spoke with was open to speaking, but there was only so much that could be said.

“There is nothing here to fuel the theories,” he said. “While his passing was very sad, there wasn’t anything unusual about it.”

A reporter with London-based Daily Telegraph, Nick Allen, was also in town, but declined to be interviewed.