The entire story is set in France. Perhaps they don't add anything for you but for me they give the story a more French flavour. And anyway town hall is not a

The entire story is set in France. Perhaps they don't add anything for you but for me they give the story a more French flavour. And anyway town hall is not an precise translation for mairie. In my home town in the south of England a more correct equivalent would be civic offices. Also in the UK reporting a death is done online these days, definitely not at the town hall. Actually I don't know for sure how these things are done in France but that they are done differently seems certain.