“There are still areas of the river in which searches are complicated by the strong current and numerous ice jams. I can't say for sure that it isn't there. » The seventh morning of excavations undertaken in the Brenne, between Vernou and Vouvray, Tuesday November 5, 2024, did not “it has not yet been possible to find any trace whatsoever” of Madeleine, 97 years old.
For almost two hours, Warrant Officer Cédric and Chief Quartermaster Loïc, gendarmes-divers of the Saint-Pierre-des-Corps river brigade, took advantage of the receding water to go up the river until the confluence with the Cisse. At the time of publishing these lines, research has remained in vain in an attempt to uncover any trace of the nonagenarian, whose disappearance has been considered worrying since October 25, 2024.
The privileged voluntary gesture
Despite the passing days, significant resources have been committed, in the water and on land, with a tracking dog and hiking trails. If other avenues are explored, the rivers in the area, swollen by recent bad weather, are the subject of frequent surveys. “Without ruling out others, the most likely scenario remains the one which would lead to a voluntary action by the missing woman who would have thrown herself into the water”says squadron leader Emilie Lostanlen, commanding the Amboise gendarmerie company.
Madeleine's last contact with those around her and her home help dates back to the Wednesday preceding the reporting of her disappearance. “There is little evidence to suggest that she would have gone elsewhere to start a new life. His personal belongings remained here and his relatives have no news”we sum up to the gendarmerie group.
“A response to the family”
At the bottom of his house, located at the foot of the hillside, a gate leading to the Brenne that remained open quickly alerted the investigators.
According to our information, the recent announcement of health problems could explain the old lady's action. In the absence of any sign of life or body, the soldiers did not abandon the field, accompanied on Tuesday by Pascale Devallée, mayor of Vernou.
Interrupted for a few hours, the search could resume at the end of the week. Until then, the use of a drone, to support divers, is also mentioned to strengthen the system. “The goal is above all to find her and provide an answer to the familystares at Adjutant Cédric. As long as we are not with her, we cannot be certain that she is dead. »
