The French-Swiss chef Benoît Violier, who scaled the heights of gastronomy to preside over a small Swiss restaurant that was named the best in the world in December, has died in what seems to have been suicide, according to the police. He was 44.

The Swiss police said in a statement that Mr. Violier had been found dead late Sunday at his home in Crissier, near Lausanne, Switzerland.

“It would seem that he has ended his life with a firearm,” the statement said, adding that an investigation had been opened into the circumstances of his death.

Out of respect for the family, the authorities said, they would be making no further statement.

Mr. Violier, a perfectionist known for his acumen in cooking game, ran Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, which has been awarded three Michelin stars and in December took the number one spot in France’s La Liste, a ranking of 1,000 restaurants in 48 countries.

Mr. Violier was born in La Rochelle, a coastal city in western France, to a family of winemakers. In 2013, he was named chef of the year by the Gault and Millau guide, one of the world’s most influential arbiters of culinary excellence.