A new appeal: Christophe and Célia Orsaz

Since my previous post about the disappearance of Christophe and Célia Orsaz, Célia's mother (and former wife of Christophe) Sandra Decker has made a new appeal for information, which was reported in L'Est Republicain and La Depeche du Midi. Notably, an interview with L'Est Republicain's Laurie Marsot provides some new information regarding the background circumstances prior to Christophe and Célia's disappearance, as follows:

Célia and Christophe Orsaz. (Facebook)

Sandra, the mother of 18-year-old Célia Orsaz who has been missing with her father since November 30th 2017 has decided to break her silence.

From her home in Chargey-lès-Gray (Haute-Saône), despite the 750 km that separate her from the site of the disappearance, Célia's 45 year old mother continues to follow the investigation closely. "I was protecting myself a little from the media at first, so as not to compromise the investigation and for fear of what might be said. But it's been two months now, and Célia has still not been found.So I told myself that I should not put up barriers any longer if there is the slightest chance of her getting back in touch. It helps me to feel less helpless."

Célia lived for a while in the Haute-Saône region, where her mother, originally from Isère, had settled. After completing her Baccalauréat (the French equivalent of 'A' levels) at the Lycée Cournot in Gray in the summer of 2017, she decided to get closer to her father, who lives in the Ariège region of south-west France, close to the Pyrenees. On November 30th 2017 Célia and her father Christophe were last seen in his white Renault Kangoo car in the town of Lavalanet (Ariège). A judicial investigation into their disappearance has been opened which, for now, continues to consider all possibilities.

"I don't exclude any theory, but a voluntary disappearance was my first thought," says Sandra, who separated from Celia's father Christophe "a good decade ago, after 17 years together"."Though it was not bad, my relationship with Célia was slightly strained by her decision to move to Toulouse. Originally, she had planned to continue her studies in Besançon and we had put everything in place for this to happen. Then one day, returning from a holiday, she announced her intention to get closer to her father, with whom she had again been in contact." Sandra has no idea what happened on November 30th. "Everything appeared normal.Celia had spent a few days with her father and was planning to meet up with her boyfriend in Toulouse. He is stunned too: their exchanges were perfectly normal and there was no hint of what was to come. Celia had even confirmed that she had her train ticket."

Sandra is now hoping for a sign of life from her daughter: "Even if she does not want to come back home, I would hope that she could at least tells us where she is, and if she is OK."

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.

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.

Chevaline: "followed by a parallel route"

The Place du Martinet

Saad al Hilli, his wife Iqbal, mother-in-law Suhaila and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier were shot to death at the Place du Martinet, close to the village of Chevaline (Haute-Savoie) at approximately 3.35pm local time on the afternoon of Wednesday 5th September 2012. Additionally, Saad and Iqbal's eldest daughter Zainab sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder and was bludgeoned with a Luger pistol, leaving her unconscious and with serious injuries. Their younger daughter Zeena was found by police several hours later, hiding on the floor of the car in which her parents died.

These are the most basic facts of the horror that unfolded in a matter of minutes on a quiet mountain road in the sunshine of a late summer afternoon. And for a long time, that's all that was known about the events of that day. What little official information was available came via Eric Maillaud, the then Procureur (Chief Prosecutor) of the Annecy area of Haute-Savoie. One of the first questions he was asked by journalists was “were the victims followed?” His reply, that there was no evidence of the Al Hilli family being followed from England or from the campsite where there were staying on the day of the murders, but that “they may have been followed by a parallel route” caused confusion at the time and for a long while afterwards.

Eric Maillaud, Annecy Procureur in 2012

The confusion was further heightened when it was later suggested that the killer arrived at the scene before the victims, appearing previously unseen from above the car park at the Place du Martinet shortly after they arrived from the village below. How could this be? A clandestine meeting? A pre-planned ambush targeting the Al Hilli family or Sylvain Mollier, the French cyclist also killed in the attack? It was only in 2015, when press and public interest in the case was beginning to wane that new information revealed an important clue to what is perhaps the simplest theory which explains what led to the death of four people that day and one that French police have most likely been pursuing since the investigation began.

The Al Hilli family had intended to go to a theme park that day, but time drifted by and the plan was abandoned. Given instead the choice of shopping in Annecy or taking a walk in the countryside, the two girls opted for the latter. And so the family left the Camping le Solitaire du Lac at around 1pm and drove towards Chevaline, a small village to the south east on the edge of the Bauges National Park. At approximately 2.40pm their maroon BMW estate car was seen in the village of Chevaline heading south on the Chemin Rural dit la Grande Combe by local builders doing restoration work on a holiday home. At 3.17pm Suhaila took a photo of Saad, Iqbal, Zainab and Zeena, apparently smiling and relaxed in front of a farm building on the Route du Moulin, just south of Arnand, with a view of the mountains behind.

Al Hilli family photo on the Route du Moulin

What happened in between these two events is not known in detail - most likely Saad drove south through Chevaline, then turned left to come back north on the Route du Moulin towards Arnand, before parking up to explore on foot. It is known that there are several photographs of the family around the area of Arnand taken in the half hour before the 3.17pm photo, which is believed to be the last image of the family together. Of those photos, it has been known since early in the investigation that one of them was taken in front of a house or wall decorated with flowers (variously referred to in the French media as a "maison fleurie" or "mur fleuri"). But not until 2015 was it revealed that, unlike the other photos, all five members of the Al Hilli family group appeared in this image.

Was the mobile phone used to take this picture carefully placed and the photo taken using a self-timer? Or did the family encounter someone in Arnand who offered to take their photo in front of the house? Did a conversation ensue between the Al Hillis and this person? And, in the course of that conversation, did this person either direct the Al Hillis towards the Place du Martinet or become aware of their intention to go there? With the decision to go Chevaline that day apparently spontaneous and to a large degree random and available CCTV showing no evidence of them being followed from the campsite to Arnand, it was perhaps here that what Eric Maillaud referred to as the pursuit of the family “by a parallel route” began.

A "maison fleurie" in Arnand

There are two routes from Arnand to the Place du Martinet. The first, south on the Route du Moulin and then onto the Combe d’Ire (Route Forestière Domaniale de la Combe d’Ire) is accessible by car; this was the route taken by the Al Hilli family. The second, via the Chemin de la Combette begins as a gravel track accessible by car as it leaves Arnand, but narrows further south before eventually emerging at a bend in the road above the Place du Martinet as little more than a forest trail. To complete the climb from Arnand to the Place du Martinet via this route in the time available between the photo and the shootings would require a trail motorcycle or similar – possibly the kind of bike seen moving slowly down the Combe d’Ire by British cyclist William Brett Martin just before he arrived at the scene minutes after the shooting and described by Eric Maillaud in 2014 as a “high-powered scooter”.

And so we come to the central question: while the Al Hillis returned to their car and began the drive up to the Place du Martinet, was the mystery photographer, for whatever reason, going to his home, picking up a handgun and three fully loaded magazines before climbing onto a motorbike and riding via the back roads to intercept and kill them? In short, rather than a complex web of intrigue, clandestine meetings or family feuds, were the Chevaline murders simply the result of a local killer acting on impulse? The photo, the description of the motorbike, the local knowledge required to get to the Place du Martinet unseen and the use of an historic weapon strongly associated with the area (a Swiss army issue Luger P06) all suggest that this must remain a strong possibility.

From L'Essor Savoyard: 22nd October 2015

In terms of theories surrounding the Chevaline killings, this is as simple as it gets. But even the simplest theory is not evidence.  In October 2015 an anonymous Chevaline resident told a reporter from the local newspaper L'Essor Savoyard that "people saw things on the day of the murders, but haven't spoken to the police for fear of reprisals." In the Gregory Villemin case (the 1984 murder of a young boy in a similar rural community) witnesses are only now coming forward to speak for the first time in 33 years. Until those who claim that they "saw things" that day in Chevaline and Arnand do the same, theories may be all we have.

Grégory Villemin: a last roll of the dice?

Church of Saint Libaire, Lépanges-Sur-Vologne

May 2017: In the village church of Lépanges-Sur-Vologne, where Grégory Villemin lived his short life, a Sunday school teacher passes the time while waiting for children to arrive for a confirmation class by flicking through the visitors' book on a table by the main door. Among the prayers and compliments on the floral displays she sees an entry which pulls her up short:

It really was Bernard L. who killed Grégory. I was with him.

Murielle Bolle - 13th May 2008

The teacher immediately recognises the names on the page; Bernard Laroche: the cousin of Grégory's parents who was initially suspected or the kidnap and murder, before being released and shot dead by Grégory's father, Jean-Marie Villemin in 1985. Murielle Bolle: Laroche's sister-in-law who was the primary witness against him before dramatically retracting her statement in the wake of what has been suggested were violent threats from family members.

After the initial shock of recognition, the teacher calms herself, assuming that it is probably just a bad joke made by a local youth or any one of the numerous "fait diversiers" (true crime afficionados) who still frequent the area to this day. Nonetheless, the next day she shows it to a former mayor of the commune who, 'just in case', passes it on to the Gendarmerie. They decide to take it more seriously.

Unknown to the ex-mayor, a new review of the case has been underway in secret for several months in Dijon, so when the visitors' book is received, it is added to the case files and a DNA analysis commissioned. Six unique DNA traces are identified on the page where the message was written, of which one corresponds to... Murielle Bolle. Almost unbelievably, after 33 years, it appears she has decided to end her silence.

Monique Villemin

At the beginning of June 2017, a new series of police interviews is scheduled. First to be called in is Grégory's grandmother, Monique Villemin. Prior to the discovery of the visitors' book, DNA testing has revealed that she is the author of a threatening letter to the Dijon judge whose investigation cleared Christine Villemin of all charges relating to Grégory's death. At the time Monique wanted the inquiry to continue to focus on her daughter-in-law Christine, perhaps with the aim of protecting her son Michel, a friend of Bernard Laroche, who had previously been accused of colluding with him. She is released without charge.

Next to be interviewed are Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob. Marcel is the brother of Monique, but considered to be part of a 'clan' within the family which included Bernard Laroche and Michel Villemin. When suspicion first fell on Laroche, it also spread to the others in the group as possible co-conspirators. Following interview, the couple are charged with the "kidnap resulting in death" of Grégory, but released on bail with the conditions that they have no contact with each other and live separately, away from their home in Aumontzey.

Jacqueline and Marcel Jacob

Murielle Bolle is scheduled for interview after the Jacobs' release. But before confronting her with the new evidence of the visitors' book, further verification is sought. On the day the Jacobs are brought in for questioning, a new DNA sample is taken from Murielle. To the horror of investigators, it does not match the DNA profile from the book. Were samples mixed up in the laboratory? Did Murielle Bolle somehow manage to provide a false sample? Either way, police face the possibility that they have been working with an incorrect DNA profile for Murielle Bolle since samples were taken in 2009.

What course the investigation has followed since the second sample was taken on June 14th 2017, I cannot say. Other items of evidence have previously been subjected to DNA analysis which proved inconclusive - no doubt investigators will have looked again at some of these in the light of the newly-discovered error. Or did the discovery of a mix-up of samples in the lab point instead to a relative of Murielle in whom she had confided as the author of the book entry? Whatever the case, Murielle Bolle was brought in for interview on Wednesday 28th June; police deciding to use the remaining 25 hours of the 48 originally available to them when she was first questioned in 1984.

After suggestions from her lawyer that she was now under investigation for failure to report a crime and conspiracy to murder and an interruption of several hours when Murielle was taken to hospital following a fainting fit, she was transferred to Dijon on Friday to appear before an investigating magistrate. As a result, as I write this she remains in custody in Dijon pending a remand hearing on Tuesday 4th July; once again charged with the kidnap of Grégory Villemin in 1984.

UPDATE 11/7/17: Murielle Bolle's detention was extended at the July 4th hearing. She remains in prison pending a confrontation with a new witness; a cousin who claims that she was subjected to violence by family members on the evening of 5th November 1984, following her statement which implicated Bernard Laroche in the kidnap of Grégory Villemin. The confrontation is currently scheduled for 28th July 2017.

UPDATE 12/7/17: Jean-Michel Lambert, the first investigating magistrate in the case, found dead at his home in Le Mans on the evening of 11/7/17. Initial investigation suggests suicide.

Grégory Villemin: this time, the truth?

Grégory Villemin

Shortly after 5pm on the evening of Tuesday October 16th 1984, four year old Grégory Villemin was taken from outside his house in the village of Lépanges-Sur-Vologne in the Vosges region of France. At 9.15pm that day his body, bound at the wrists and ankles, was recovered from the River Vologne in the nearby village of Docelles. The official cause of death was drowning, but the small amount of water in his lungs and the later discovery of a syringe and an ampule of Insulin suggested that he was also drugged before entering the water.

Initial suspicion focused on Bernard Laroche, a cousin of Grégory's father Jean-Marie. Handwriting experts called in by the police identified him as a potential author of numerous threatening letters to Grégory's parents, a theory supported by claims of rival 'clans' within the extended family. He was interviewed and provided an alibi for the time of the kidnap and murder, but police found it unconvincing.

Bernard Laroche; Murielle Bolle

Laroche's alibi relied heavily on corroboration by his 15 year old sister-in-law, with whom he and his wife shared their home. But when interviewed, after initially supporting his version of events she changed her account when challenged, stating instead that he had picked her up from school that day before driving to a nearby village where he had collected a young boy. They then drove to another village, where Laroche took the boy from the car, disappearing from sight briefly before returning alone. Murielle stated that at the time of the events she recognised neither the boy nor the villages, but later realised from press articles that it was Grégory Villemin and that the villages were Lépanges-Sur-Vologne and Docelles, respectively.

After repeating this version of events to the instructing magistrate Jean-Michel Lambert, Bernard Laroche was arrested and Murielle sent home. But then Lambert made a mistake which was to blight the case from that day to this. Asked by waiting press what had led to the arrest of Laroche, Lambert stated that it was the result of a “temoignage capitale” – a statement from a key witness. Was it Murielle Bolle? Yes. Was she in the car with him? Er… yes. In a matter of a few seconds he publicly identified the primary witness against Bernard Laroche - a witness he had just sent back to Laroche's family with no protection.

Jean-Michel Lambert: 'Le Juge Lambert'

What happened in the Laroche house after Murielle returned there on the evening of Monday 5th November 1984 is a matter of debate to this day, but the next day she retracted her statement in its entirety, claiming later that she had been threatened by police and telling TV reporters and press “Bernard is innocent; my brother-in-law is innocent”. Lambert tried to maintain the case against Laroche, but procedural errors meant that the earlier handwriting analysis could not be used in evidence. As a result the case faltered and, after three months on remand, Bernard Laroche was released in the February of 1985.

Following his release, the case was taken out of the hands of the Gendarmerie and passed to the civilian police, who began a new inquiry. New handwriting experts were commissioned and suspicion moved from Laroche towards Christine Villemin, Grégory's mother; a fact that she and her husband first learned via an RTL radio broadcast in March 1985. Stunned by the news, the newly pregnant Christine suffered a haemorrhage and was rushed to hospital. Leaving his wife in the hands of medical staff, Jean-Marie returned home, picked up a shotgun, drove to the home of Bernard Laroche and shot him dead, as he had previously threatened to do in front of journalists on the day of Laroche's release in February. He then returned to the hospital and asked nurses to call the police.

Jean-Marie and Christine Villemin

Christine Villemin was charged with the murder of Grégory in July 1985, but again the case faltered: handwriting analysis proved inconclusive; witness statements unreliable and doubts were raised over the way physical evidence was collected. Christine was bailed in 1985, but it was not until 1993 that she was formally cleared of all charges following a new inquiry by the Court of Appeal in Dijon. 

1993 also saw the trial of Jean-Marie Villemin for the killing of Bernard Laroche. His lawyers sought to make the event a posthumous trial of Laroche, presenting his death as a justifiable homicide. Murielle Bolle maintained her retraction, however and Jean-Marie was convicted. Sentenced to 5 years, he was released ten days later on the basis of time served while on remand between 1985 and 1987.

And from there the case began to go cold. Attempts at DNA analysis in 2000 proved inconclusive. A new attempt in 2009 led to the inquiry being briefly re-opened in 2011, to little avail. It was not until May 2017 that a series of bizarre twists led to this apparently coldest of cases suddenly coming back to the boil...

France’s oldest cold case: the disappearance of Yves Bert.

Yves Bert

What happened to Yves on February 3rd 1977, at the door of the Mazenod School in the 3rd Arrondissement of Lyon, France? Forty years later, the mystery remains complete. The six-year-old boy with blond curls, in his first year of primary school, disappeared with no witnesses.

That day the bell rang "as it did every evening at 5pm. The teacher took her pupils to the exit and they joined hands to go out two by two" the head of the primary school told the French newspaper France-Soir that year. Yves’s older brother Yannick, who was eight at the time, waited for him at the corner of the street. Eventually he was joined by his parents, who were worried by the absence of their children; the journey to the family home in the Rue Paul-Bert took only a few minutes. "I immediately thought it was serious. We visited the classrooms, but there was no one. The head gave us parents' addresses, thinking that Yves had perhaps gone home with one of the other children. At 6pm, we finally called the police," Thérèse Deleuze, the little boy's mother told the paper. According to the caretaker of the school, there was no doubt about it: the boy definitely left the building. He was holding the hand of a little girl, who let go of him once they were outside to join her mother.

An anonymous letter

That same evening, the police started their search for the missing child. The cellars of the district were turned over, but in vain. Yves’s parents, helped by a group of friends, criss-crossed the area putting up posters. Calls to potential witnesses were made across France. Yves's parents were to receive many letters, of which one in particular stood out. "I am writing to you to let you know that I have very good news about your son... Since we cannot have a child, we felt that we had to resort to kidnapping. But now we are tortured by remorse and have decided to return your child to you" wrote an anonymous correspondent on July 24th 1978.

The letter was posted in Privas, in the Ardèche and told Yves’s parents to expect a call to a phone box at the Perrache station in Lyon for further information. On the evening when the call was due they waited as instructed, but it never came. In the following months, four more messages followed. Each one came to nothing.

The case relaunched

On 12 June 1979 the body of a child found in the Rhone was presented to Yves's parents for identification. DNA identification did not yet exist at the time, but the police nevertheless excluded the possibility that it was Yves. Thirty-two years later, in 2009, with the advance of forensic science, the case was relaunched. But whether the body in the river was ever positively identified (and how it came to be there) is not clear– certainly it appears that it was not Yves Bert, as the investigation remains open to this day and is now noted as France’s oldest “cold case”.

Every year, on the anniversary of Yves’s disappearance Thérèse Deleuze contacts the press in the hope that a fresh appeal will bring some new information which might lead to discovering the truth about her son’s disappearance. But so far, only silence. And at the age of seventy, with forty years now passed since the event, she increasingly feels that there is little hope left of ever knowing what happened that day in the short distance between the door of the school and the street corner. She had intended not to approach the press as usual this year, but finally felt she had to, as she “owes it to little Yves”.

If you have any information which might help to resolve this case, please contact APEV:

Aide aux Parents d’Enfants Victimes

3, Rue Edouard Branly

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

Tel/Fax: 01 46 48 35 94

Email: contact@apev.org

Timeline: Corrie McKeague

UPDATED: 21/10/16

Timeline of events relating to the disappearance of Corrie McKeague, last seen in Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) on the morning of Saturday 24th September 2016. All times are UK BST; some timings are approximate.

Corrie McKeague is 23 years of age, approximately 5ft 10 inches tall, medium build and speaks with a Scottish accent. He is currently serving with the RAF Regiment, based at RAF Honington in Suffolk.

If you were in Bury St Edmunds on the evening of 23rd September or the early hours of 24th September 2016 or have any information which could help to establish the whereabouts of Corrie McKeague, please contact Suffolk Police on 01473 782019 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Corrie McKeague

Friday 23rd September 2016

2300 approx: drives from RAF Honington to Bury St Edmunds, where he joins friends for a night out.


Saturday 24th September 2016

Before 0100: Drinking with friends in Flex nightclub in Bury St Edmunds.

0100 approx: Leaves the nightclub and parts company with friends; walks to Pizza Mama Mia on St Andrew's Street North where he orders takeaway food. Seen on shop CCTV playing "rock, paper, scissors" with another customer.

0120 approx: Seen on CCTV released by Suffolk Police 02/10/16 crossing St Andrew's Street North and entering Brentgovel Street. NB: the two blurred out figures in the video have been identified and are not sought by police.

Shortly after 0120: Goes into Hughes shop doorway to eat takeaway and then falls asleep.

0308: Sends a picture message to a friend from his Nokia Lumia 435 mobile phone.

Nokia Lumia 435 mobile phone

0324: Seen by CCTV leaving the shop doorway and walking in the direction of the Cornhill shopping centre. Goes out of view of the camera walking towards the rear of shops at the junction of Brentgovel Street and Short Brackland.

0324+: No further confirmed sighting after this time.

0400 approx*: Mobile phone detected within range of Bury St Edmunds mast.

0800 approx*: Mobile phone detected within range of mast near Barton Mills, approximately 12 miles to the north-west of Bury St Edmunds. No further indication of the phone's whereabouts after this time.

* NB: It is now confirmed that the phone took 28 minutes to travel from the Bury St Edmunds area to Barton Mills area. This timing is believed to coincide with the movement of a private bin lorry which made a collection of 11kg of recyclables from a single bin at the point of the last sighting.


Monday 26th September 2016

Afternoon: Reported to police as missing by base staff at RAF Honington after failing to turn up for work.


Monday 26th September onward

Extensive ground and water searches carried out by Suffolk Police, SULSAR, NSARDA and RAF search teams in the Bury St Edmunds area and along possible routes between the town, RAF Honington and Barton Mills, including off-road routes based on a witness suggestion that Corrie McKeague intended to walk back to his base. 

Additional searches for the mobile phone within the Barton Mills mast area. 

Continuing appeals for information, private CCTV footage and property checks. 

Extensive social media and poster campaign by members of the public and businesses across East Anglia in association with Corrie McKeague's family.


3rd October 2016

Private bin lorry seized and searched by Suffolk Police following a suggestion that its movements on the morning of 24/9/16 matched those of the mobile phone. Nothing found.


9th October 2016

Three potential witnesses identified and interviewed following an appeal by Suffolk Police. Unclear whether any new information was forthcoming as a result.

21st October 2016

Suffolk Police release CCTV of last known movements and appeal for potential new witnesses from Pizza Mama Mia to come forward.
For the latest information or to download a printable poster, please visit the Suffolk Police website.