The investigation continues to find Laure Zacchello, 43 years old, missing since June 20 in the Urrugne area (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). Her husband was indicted for “spousal murder” then placed in provisional detention. An appeal for witnesses is launched by the judicial police to collect information, especially concerning the day of June 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 p.m.
Actively wanted, but “possibly deceased by now”
Hopes of finding Laure Zacchello alive are slim. She is “possibly deceased to date, possibly victim of voluntary homicide by her spouse“t,” declared the public prosecutor of Bayonne during a press conference held this Thursday, June 27.No hypothesis can be excluded“, adds prosecutor Jérôme Bourrier.
The search continues to find Laure Zacchello, with searches and searches, without knowing the sectors targeted by the investigators, nor the importance of the device. “We are interested in any testimonies, information on moving a 4X4 in the hinterland, in wooded areas“, says the commissioner in charge of the investigation. The missing person, a 43-year-old woman, is the mother of three children, aged 5, 7 and 9, whom she had with the accused. The couple is in the process of divorcing, separated since last March and shares custody of their children in a joint home in Urrugne, which he owns. A juvenile judge has been notified.
A possible staged attack
If all avenues still remain open at this stage of the investigation, the public prosecutor detailed the various elements which led to the indictment of the suspect. The 43-year-old man was found unconscious at his home in the afternoon of Friday June 21. His sister, worried about not having any news from him, arrived at his house and discovered him on the ground. He has a head injury and a concrete block is at his side. Laure Zacchello is absent. On the other hand, her personal effects are still there, including her two cell phones, her means of payment, her handbag and even her vehicle. The red 4X4, which appears in the wanted poster, is locked and the keys are no longer there.
Investigations of the home allow us to rule out at this stage the hypothesis of a burglary, as well as the intervention of a third party. The voluntary disappearance of Laure Zacchello seems unlikely because he left without taking any business with her, without warning anyone and without giving any news to his children. “Which, in view of the hearings carried out in his entourage, is absolutely not like him”notes the public prosecutor.
The judicial police are working on another lead, that of a frame-up by the forty-year-old, that is to say self-mutilation to make it appear as an attack. This is also the main alibi of suspect who does not deny the facts but assures that he does not remember anything. Medical examinations indicate trauma, “compatible with a loss of consciousness but also with a violent effort“, specifies Jérôme Bourrier, who continues: “he has scratch marks on his hands and legs, which may be compatible with bramble tree scratches… Afterwards, he is an individual who practices a form of survivalism.“
“Terrified by her partner’s attitude”
The so-called “environmental” investigation also brings to light several incriminating elements against the suspect. It turns out that he had a bad experience with his separation. An argument from last February was highlighted by the prosecution.Her partner allegedly tried to tear her away [à Laure Zacchello] her purse, and she allegedly bit him. Elements that pushed her to buy a portable camera, to sleep on the sofa with her children, to place objects on the floor to hear her partner when he came into the room“, explains the public prosecutor. Testimonies from those around her show that she “was visibly terrified by her partner’s attitude“, adds Jérôme Bourrier.
There are no complaints in the couple’s past, but two events are listed by the judicial authorities. On February 7, the accused went to the Saint-Jean-de-Luz police station to report that he had been bitten by his wife. On February 10, she spoke to the police to report a form of harassment, “while specifying that she did not want to file a complaint, that she did not want her husband to be heard“, specifies the public prosecutor.
Survivalist and gun enthusiast
The investigation reveals that the 43-year-old suspect is athletic, he is also a PE teacher and was a reserve officer in the gendarmerie until 2020. He is also a hunter and sports shooter, with several weapons in his possession. . A large arsenal declared and locked in two safesbut everything was removed when the police arrived.”The two cupboards located in the master bedroom are open, not forced, we note the disappearance of category A war weapons, submachine guns, automatic pistols“, lists Jérôme Bourrier. The investigations also discovered that the suspect had a cache of survival rations, which places him in a survivalist movement.
The public prosecutor also emphasizes a cold, mute personality, without empathy, without caring about the future of his wife. “He put forward amnesia, not remembering anything, delaying his hearing, starting to cry.says Jérôme Bourrier. The search will continue to find Laure Zacchello, none of the leads mentioned above have been put aside, recalls the Bayonne prosecutor’s office, which prefers not to draw hasty conclusions about the circumstances of the disappearance.
