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 was 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 sought, but “possibly deceased at this time”
Hopes of finding Laure Zacchello alive are slim. She is “possibly deceased to date, possibly victim of voluntary homicide by her spouset”, declared the Bayonne public prosecutor 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 roundups, without it being known which areas the investigators are targeting or the extent of the operation.We are interested in any testimonials, information on moving a 4X4 in the hinterland, in wooded areas“, says the commissioner in charge of the investigation. The missing woman, 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 divorce proceedings, separated since last March and sharing custody of the children in a common home in Urrugne, of which he is the owner. A children’s judge has been contacted.
A possible staged assault
Although all leads remain open at this stage of the investigation, the public prosecutor detailed the various elements which led to the suspect being charged. The 43-year-old man was found unconscious at his home on the afternoon of Friday, June 21. His sister, worried about not hearing from him, arrives at his house and discovers him on the ground. He is injured in the head and a concrete block is next to him. Laure Zacchello is absent. However, her personal belongings are still there, including her two cell phones, her means of payment, her handbag and her vehicle. The red SUV, which appears in the wanted notice, 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 his departure was made 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 people believe that there was an assault. This is also the main alibi of the suspect who does not deny the facts but assures that he does not remember anything. Medical examinations indicate trauma, “compatible with loss of consciousness but also with violent effort“, specifies Jérôme Bourrier, who continues: “he has scratch marks on his hands and legs, which could be compatible with bramble scratches… Afterwards, he is an individual who practices a form of survivalism.“
“Terrified by her partner’s attitude”
The so-called “environmental” investigation also revealed several elements against the suspect. It turns out that he took his separation badly. An argument from last February is brought to light 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“, details 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 sport shooter, with several weapons in his possession. A large arsenal declared and locked in two strong cabinets, but 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 weapons of war, submachine guns, automatic pistols“, lists Jérôme Bourrier. The investigations also discover that the suspect has a cache with 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, said he didn’t remember anything, postponed his hearing, started to cry., says Jérôme Bourrier. The search will continue to find Laure Zacchello, none of the avenues mentioned above have been put aside, recalls the Bayonne prosecutor’s office, which prefers not to formulate too hasty conclusions on the circumstances of the disappearance.
