Missing: Christophe and Célia Orsaz

The disappearance of Christophe Orsaz (46) and his daughter Célia (18) was officially announced by Karline Bouisset, public prosecutor of Foix in the Ariege region of France on 5th December 2017, though a family member had posted a tweet requesting information a few days earlier on 2nd December. As is usual in France, minimal details were revealed. The case did attract some press attention due to the slightly unusual circumstances of the disappearance and the fact that a father and daughter had gone missing together. Further media interest followed when it was discovered that the daughter had recently completed high school in Gray (Haute Saone), the town where 29 year old Alexia Daval was murdered in October 2017. As in the case of Alexia Daval however, after initial interest in the press and on social media, with little new information discovered attention turned elsewhere.

Célia and Christophe Orsaz (Facebook)

Media sources

At 4.36pm on the afternoon of Thursday 30th November, Christophe and Célia Orsaz were seen on CCTV in his white Renault Kangoo (registration AG-498-BS) in the town of Lavelanet (Ariege). Christophe was dressed in orange hi-viz work trousers with grey reflective bands and a blue fleece jacket; Célia is described as wearing a black jacket, beige scarf, light blue jeans and dark coloured boots. This is believed to be the last sighting of the pair.

Later the same evening a burned out car was discovered in a clearing next to a forest trail near the town of Puivert (Aude). the car was later identified as the white Kangoo belonging to Christophe Orsaz, but there was no trace of the occupants. Police searched the forest area around the car with the support of a tracker dog and helicopter without success until snowfall hampered further activity. 

At the time of their disappearance, Christophe was living in the village of Mirepoix (Ariege) and working as a crane driver; Célia was a university student in the nearby city of Toulouse. No contact has been received from either of the pair and no phone or bank account activity logged since 30th November.

As it stands, a judicial inquiry into the cause of their disappearance has been launched and the official position is that all possibilities remain open - as adults, both were entitled in law to disappear if they wished, but the additional circumstance of the burned out car means that criminal action by a third party cannot be excluded.

Despite this, "a source close to the inquiry" speaking to Le Parisien newspaper claimed that the missing pair had "fragile personalities," citing a difficult divorce some years earlier and made suggestions of a voluntary flight or "something worse." However, this claim has not been substantiated and family members state that contacts prior to 30th November were entirely normal. Similarly, suggestions of a connection between either of the pair and the Alexia Daval case on social media appear so far to amount only to a geographical coincidence.

Social media

Both Célia and Christophe Orsaz have a Facebook presence. Célia posts infrequently to her timeline but has over 600 friends listed. Of only three timeline posts in 2017, two were selfies with what might be considered slightly portentous captions, but responses to comments below appear positive in tone. Going back further, a 2016 video suggests that despite the claim of a difficult divorce (above), she has successfully maintained good relations with both parents. Celia also maintained an active Youtube account and though she did not upload content she was a prolific 'liker' of videos on a range of subjects.

Christophe Orsaz has two accounts which reflect his keen interest in the outdoors. The first account appears unused since 2012 and includes photos of various walking and trail running activities; the second concentrates on walking in the Alps and later on the Pyrenees following his move to the area in 2013. This account includes numerous photos and descriptions of expeditions of which show him to be an experienced hill walker and skilled photographer. Though he does not make his friends list public, comments show that he is well connected with other outdoor enthusiasts and his tone is outgoing and positive.

Last sighting

With reference to the last sighting, a Streetview tour of Lavelanet shows that there is no visible civic CCTV system in the town and the absence of one is supported by the lack of a warning notice on the town sign (where such a CCTV system is in operation a notice at the entry to the town is required by law). The only visible CCTV cameras appear to be on the Super U and Carrefour supermarket petrol stations. In the case of Super U, the only visible camera points towards the payment cabin at the exit, showing the rear of cars as they leave. At the Carrefour supermarket, twin cameras show the front of vehicles at the pumps, making it possible to see the occupants in the front seats. Additionally, the Carrefour supermarket is situated on the main road between Mirepoix and Puivert, suggesting that this is the most likely location of the last sighting of Christophe and Célia in the white Kangoo.

Carrefour supermarket, Lavelanet (Google)

From the detailed description of their clothing given by the public prosecutor, which includes trousers and shoes, it appears that as well as being seen in the car, both were also seen by CCTV outside the vehicle. This may have been while at the petrol station, or they may also have visited the supermarket itself and been seen on CCTV there. It has been suggested in the media that one of the pair used a bank card in Lavelanet at the time - in light of the above this seems likely, for the purchase of fuel, food or both.

Location of the car

Since the beginning of the case, the prosecutor and media have been imprecise about where the burned-out car was found, referring mostly to it being discovered on the edge of a forest near Puivert/Quillan in the Aude region. Thanks to the video and photographs which accompany this article in La Depeche du Midi newspaper however, it is possible to identify the exact location as a clearing on a forest trail off the D120 between Espezel and L'Escale, south of Puivert. This trail leads from the road towards the "refuge du Maquis de Picaussel," a small cabin which is made available free of charge by the local authority to walkers wanting to make an overnight stay in the area. With this information (assuming no delays or diversions) and the details of the last sighting it is also possible to estimate the time of arrival in the clearing as being shortly after 5pm.

Location of burned-out car (Google)

While it has been known from early on that Christophe Orsaz is an experienced outdoor enthusiast and the area where the car was found is popular with walkers and cyclists, (several trails in the area commemorate the activities of the World war 2 Resistance group the Maquis de Picaussel) there have been questions over the timing of the journey there which have tended to push ideas towards a voluntary disappearance: Yes, he liked walking, but would he have set out for a walk with his daughter that late in the day at the end of November? Why were neither of the pair apparently dressed for walking? Once it becomes clearer where the father and daughter were most likely last seen and where the car was later found however, a different picture emerges.

As is clear from his Facebook page, Christophe Orsaz had little concern for cold or snow when it came to getting outdoors - and the refuge has a large fireplace for all year round use. For me, with the information available at present, the picture is of a father and daughter coming straight from college and work and getting away early on a Thursday evening with the intention of spending the night in a refuge, prior to a long weekend walking in and around the Forest of Picaussel and stopping off in Lavelanet on the way for food and fuel. If they weren't dressed for walking, it may have been because their hiking kit was already packed in the car with sleeping bags etc, ready to change when they got there.

Refuge du Maquis de Picaussel (source)

Like many others, the refuge du Maquis de Picaussel is unguarded and there is no lock on the door; users simply turn up and let themselves in - first come; first served. But because of this it is also impossible to know who you will meet there and end up sharing it with. It is perhaps worth noting also that like probably many other such refuges, photos of graffiti inside the refuge suggest that it may have become an impromptu party venue, particularly outside the main tourist season.

Refuge - interior view (source)

Obviously, what happened on the forest trail or whether they actually made it the last couple of kilometres up the track to the refuge is not yet known - a police sniffer dog followed a trail of the pair on foot before losing it, but it is not clear how far or in which direction. Additionally, indications of the presence of a second vehicle at the scene were suggested early on, though no reference has been made to this in the media since, possibly due to it being eliminated from the inquiry.

In conclusion, while there may have been some as yet unknown event which caused Christophe and Célia to decide they needed to disappear, there are several indications that their journey on 30th November was entirely unremarkable prior to their arrival in the Forest of Picaussel. For this reason, the possibility that they were the victims of criminal action by a third party or parties should not be downplayed.

If you have any information which might help to resolve this case, please call 17 or 05.34.09.09.23 from inside France, or +33.5.34.09.09.23 from abroad.