Published: 8:34 a.m. – Modified: 8:41 a.m. by Dolorès CHARLES
The mayor of Pabu, Pierre Salliou
Credit : Charles Guyard
There is relief in Pabu (22) where Morgane Rivoal, 13, had disappeared since November 25. She was found in Coutances in Manche. In the town, the mayor denounces false leads and warns young people against social networks.
After 15 days of searching and anguish, Morgane Rivoal was found alive, in Manche in Coutances, more than 200 km from her home this week. She was in the company of a 21-year-old man from Rennes, who reportedly has a criminal record of a sexual nature. He was arrested and placed in police custody for kidnapping and sequestration of a minor under 15 years old.
A very widely shared anxiety
While waiting to know the elements of the investigation, relief predominates in Pabu, where the mayor, Pierre Salliou was particularly moved. “It’s a huge relief for me no doubt, but especially for the family, and for everyone who knows her because we were very worried. The more the days passed, the more anxiety grew because we came to imagine the worst… The worst part was also not knowing. In the end, we had no leads, and we didn't know.
I was stopped on a daily basis by people asking me for news about Morgane? I was arrested in Saint-Brieuc, Guingamp, Pabu, etc. It was a very widely shared anguish but we found it again and it’s magnificent.”
Credit : Charles Guyard
At City Hall, the telephone had not stopped ringing for two weeks. Not always for good intentions, according to Pierre Salliou.
False leads
“The town hall was bombarded with calls from people who were convinced or convinced themselves that she was in this or that place. I was told that she was in Plougastel-Daoulas, in Trieux, but no one said Coutances. It was Côtes d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine or Finistère. They were all wrong… I think these people are tourists and that worries me because giving false information is shameful.”
The investigation will have to shed light in particular on the role of social networks in this disappearance. No link has yet been established, but the mayor of Pabu intends to make this news item the basis of a vast reflection on this subject. “You have to monitor social networks, they sometimes have good things but there are also bad things. Young people are aware of it, well some or even most probably, who are on Tik Tok and on a lot of networks, but we realized that there was totally negative information given and that I found very hard…
A debate around social networks
In Pabu, we are going, at the initiative of the municipal youth council, to organize a meeting and a debate around social networks with young people from the town and elsewhere.”
The Public Prosecutor of Saint-Brieuc, Nicolas Heitz, plans to provide details at 6 p.m. on Morgane's physical state, and how she was found.
