Found Deceased France - Maëlys De Araujo, 9, Pont-de-Beauvoisin, 27 Aug 2017

[Sjm_qc]

I wonder if it would be helpful to have a few people that were close to the area when she disappeared be hypnotized to see if they can remember anything in their subconscious. It seems strange to me with so many people no one saw anything happen

First: WELCOME to websleuths.

Second: IME, I really don't think that idea would fly with French LE/anyone involved whether close or peripheral to the case.

Third: I've noticed for a long time in cases like this, that the more potential witnesses are present, the harder it is to pin down "who saw what", or indeed who saw *anything*. JMO.

 

[Melzack]

I've been following this case and can't believe that in today's world a child is not even safe at a wedding reception. This loser did it. If he has no relation to the child or to her family, why would he take and let a little girl in his car to look for a dog in the middle of the night in a parking lot? Why would he even be talking to Maelys? He's a sicko and took advantage of a little girl's innocence and trust. The same approach was used with Tori Strafford by luring her to the vehicle to see a puppy.

 

[ZaZara]

So, here's my attempt at a timeline, because if I don't post it now I shall be editing, refining, agonizing over it into next week.

This has been quite difficult. I have been through this thread from the beginning, and used the links posted on the thread.

As far as possible, I've also only used the original articles in French. Where these articles have been edited and/or are no longer available (happens far too often in modern media & missing cases), I've (sparingly) used the translations quoted in WS posts here. If I'm not sure, it's not included.

All questions, corrections, additions will be gratefully accepted and I can and will revise.

I have another post "in progress", about NL's (and other) statements, stories and their contradictions & discrepancies, and maybe one on his background. Contributions welcome!

Saturday 26th/Sunday 27th August

- At sometime unspecified time during the evening, Maelys' father has an argument/dispute/interaction with NL because he doesn't like NL showing videos to Maelys

- 1.30am: the childminder engaged to look after the ~20 children present at the wedding reception leaves. This is announced over the microphone by the DJ so that families are aware

- 2.45am: Maelys seen by/speaks to her grandmother

- "Around this time" (early articles, now either edited or unavailable) mentioned ~2.30am: NL leaves the site. Early articles (now edited or unavailable) mentioned "to get cigarettes". NL's statement (after DNA in his car discovery) says "to change his shorts because they were stained by wine"). At some point he throws away the shorts "in a bin on the road". He claims to have been absent for "about an hour".

- ~3am - 3.10am (both times have been reported in articles quoting guests): DJ announces over the microphone that Maelys is missing & people (wedding guests) start searching

- NO TIME ESTIMATE (it's just too fluid, because based on NL's lawyer's quotes and "sources" speaking to Dauphiné Libéré) NL returns to the site. IF the "absent for about an hour" statement is correct, it's just before, or around the time, or just after LE are called/arrive.

- 3.57am: LE are called & rapidly arrive on site. Official searches start. Remaining guests (all or some?) are detained on site until 7pm/19h

- ~5am: the wedding photographer (who had left ~9.30pm/21:30) was called to come back with his photos

- ~5am: the site manager (concierge/gardien), who lives in a house on/next to the site is woken to come back to the hall

- 7pm/19h: the last guests detained on site are allowed to go

- Sometime on Sunday: NL deep cleans his car


Monday 28th August

- official investigation for kidnapping launched

Thursday 31st August

- 10.20am: NL is taken into custody for questioning


Thursday 31st August or Friday 1st September

- another man taken into custody for questioning


Saturday 2nd September morning

- both NL & other man are released

- According to a friend interviewed by Le Parisien, NL goes to her house


Sunday 3rd September evening

- NL is arrested and formally put under investigation for kidnapping and unlawful confinement of a minor. He is remanded in custody and remains there


Monday 4th September

- confronted by DNA trace of Maelys in his car, NL admits she did get in his car ("dog" story), with another child. Then they got out and went back into the reception hall.


Tuesday 5th September

- NL's residence (parents' house) and the surrounding area is searched (house searched for the 2nd time??)


Wednesday 6th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the interior of NL's car (trunk/cargo area) was cleaned with a product, usually used for rims, which could throw sniffer dogs off a scent


Thursday 7th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the DNA trace (mixed trace Maëlys' and NL's)was found on a dashboard button to the left of the steering wheel, while NL's statement says she got into the back of the car via the right hand passenger door


Friday 8th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the little boy NL claimed was with Maelys (getting into then out of his car) does not exist after LE investigations.

:drumroll: Thank you for this timeline! and for all the hours you put into it!




My two cents:

NL was not invited to the wedding banquet, but he was present at the wedding toast.
So he was present at a certain time,
left for the duration of the dinner,
came back at a certain time for the party,
left the party to change his short,
came back to the party (?) at a certain time,
was present during the time window when Maëlys went missing
and did not participate in the search for Maëlys.

If the story of the short supposedly happened during the time window when Maëlys went missing, it does not make sense that he returned to the venue, because people were already leaving.

If he did not participate in the search, where was he? did he leave again, did he return? Would he risk to return in a car with traces of Maëlys?

IMHO all remaining guests were detained until 10.00 hrs. If he was among them, he could not have deep-cleaned his car during the day on Sunday.

 

[Sjm_qc]

IMHO all remaining guests were detained until 10.00 hrs. If he was among them, he could not have deep-cleaned his car during the day on Sunday.

BBM:

1) I have 7pm/19:00 Sunday as the time until (some? All?) remaining guests were confined/held on site - have I missed something or misread something?

2) When he deep cleaned the car is nebulous to me too. Some reports say "le lendemain" - "the next day". It could be Monday, OR it could be Sunday during the day, given that Maelys went missing in the middle of the night (Saturday to Sunday).

 

[ZaZara]

BBM:

1) I have 7pm/19:00 Sunday as the time until (some? All?) remaining guests were confined/held on site - have I missed something or misread something?

2) When he deep cleaned the car is nebulous to me too. Some reports say "le lendemain" - "the next day". It could be Monday, OR it could be Sunday during the day, given that Maelys went missing in the middle of the night (Saturday to Sunday).

Typo! Excuses! Should have been 19.00 of course. :facepalm:


I found that all had to remain here:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...voisin-27-August-2017&p=13613621#post13613621

As the sun rises on Sunday, the next day, the guests are confined, in shock, by the lack of sleep and waiting. They'll be locked up until 19:00. "We were all convinced that Maëlys had been kidnapped. People suspected each other. Everyone thought: "The kidnapper may be one of us" Imagine..."Videos, souvenir photos of a holiday day are confiscated, seized. Identities, recorded, examined. And the discovery is frightening: a dozen guests or neighbors appear in the list of perpetrators of sexual or violent offences (FIJAISV). It includes persons who have been convicted, indicted, prosecuted, criminalized or even dismissed, cleared or acquitted of a sexual or violent offence or crime.

The car was cleaned on Sunday afternoon:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...voisin-27-August-2017&p=13607711#post13607711

Why was the vehicle cleaned?

The cleaning of the car on Sunday afternoon, August 27, by its owner, initially considered suspicious by the investigators, was due, according to him, to the fact that he was to sell it within a week. "The buyer has been identified and confirmed that this sale was going to take place," his lawyer told the "Le Parisien". The daily notes that "the gendarmes recovered from a bag that was used to clean the car, objects that arecurrently being analyzed."

BBM


If everyone who was there when LE arrived, was confined in the hall until 19.00 hrs, NL could not have cleaned his car on Sunday afternoon. It may be a matter of words, but it also makes sense to keep everybody there in case you need to question them again about something.


BTW what a way to start your married life.... let's hope the bride and groom had left already.

 

[Elainera]

First: WELCOME to websleuths.

Second: IME, I really don't think that idea would fly with French LE/anyone involved whether close or peripheral to the case.

Third: I've noticed for a long time in cases like this, that the more potential witnesses are present, the harder it is to pin down "who saw what", or indeed who saw *anything*. JMO.

bbm - And especially at a large wedding party in the early morning hours when most likely everybody was drunk to a certain degree or tired or having fun, etc.

 

[Sjm_qc]

Typo! Excuses! Should have been 19.00 of course. :facepalm:


I found that all had to remain here:



The car was cleaned on Sunday afternoon:



BBM


If everyone who was there when LE arrived, was confined in the hall until 19.00 hrs, NL could not have cleaned his car on Sunday afternoon. It may be a matter of words, but it also makes sense to keep everybody there in case you need to question them again about something.


BTW what a way to start your married life.... let's hope the bride and groom had left already.

Thank you for the clarifications!

First: as well as Maelys' parents and her sister, I can't stop thinking about the couple whose wedding it was . The bride is a cousin of the family

Second: the car being cleaned "Sunday afternoon" (thanks for the link), leads me to believe/speculate that NL arrived back at the site, *after* LE had arrived/confined remaining guests & thus was not amongst those "stuck on site".

Could this have led to the initial MSM reports on his first round of questioning that NL wasn't an invited guest? Thinking out loud, no need to reply....

I also tracked down/reread the report/ which mentioned that NL may have admitted to supplying drugs at the party:
http://www.msn.com/fr-fr/actualite/...es-déclarations-du-suspect/ar-AArkCBW?ocid=st

My personal pure speculation follows: NL could have made more than one trip to and from the party
- drug supplying*
- attending the pre-dinner cocktail (vin d'honneur) part of the reception
- leaving then going back after dinner* for the party bit
- leaving again* then going back around the time Maelys disappeared

*fetching more (drugs) ?

I could build a speculative scenario for his innocence, based on the above & him panicking on arriving back at the party to discover LE all over the place & Maelys missing & the subsequent scrubbing of his car.

Of course, I can also build a speculative case for guilt, using the above.

 

[renarde]

Map and photos of some of the areas being searched:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo...oncentrent-elles-gorges-chailles-1324425.html

 

[Sjm_qc]

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo...oncentrent-elles-gorges-chailles-1324425.html

The searches are set to continue today in the Chailles Gorges.

I read elsewhere that there is also a group of volunteer civilians meeting in Pont-Beauvoisin to search a couple of areas that haven't been covered yet.

In addition, hunting season starts tomorrow in the region and the gendarmerie has sent a memo to hunting associations to inform their members that the search is ongoing, and also has given instructions of what to do if they come across anything that might be relevant.

 

[ZaZara]

Map and photos of some of the areas being searched:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo...oncentrent-elles-gorges-chailles-1324425.html

On the map you can see that there is a road along the Gorges

From the report:

"There is a lot of vegetation and the slopes are very steep," explains the commander of the Modane HMCG. The men of the PGHM, deployed in the field, "are specialists in mountain interventions," Captain David continued. Strung together, they descend to the bottom of the gorges in search of the tiniest clue.

The men of the PGHM work with divers, who search the bottom of the river Le Guiers Vif, a tributary of the Guiers.

The canyon of the Gorges de Chailles, about 2.7 kilometers long, is a popular place for canyoning, rather dangerous access for the uninitiated but above all the ideal place to "make clues disappear".

 

[Jim_M]

From what I am reading in the french news he opened the door of his car, pushed the seat back (i understand it only has 2 doors) and let 2 kids (males and a boy) in the back seat as they wanted to see wether there were dogs in the boot. He only admitted this after being confronted with DNA evidence... but Her DNA was found on the dashboard not the back seat. He then claimed the windows of his car were left open during the wedding...

We know this young soul was in his car.

Could the DNA have come from when he had her sit on his lap? Possible events/statements? "Here, you can help me drive the car to go see my wonderful dogs." "Yes, that is the button/lever for the lights." In which event he may have changed all of his clothes to destroy any possible DNA evidence.

Cleaning the car, without wiping down the dashboard environment? Big mistake. All IMHO as always.

 

[ZaZara]

'SECURITY CAMERAS SHOW THE AUDI A3 TAKING AT LEAST 20 MINUTES LONGER THAN USUAL'

TorinoStar
http://www.torinostar.it/mondo/644_...dhal-lelandais-chi-lo-ha-aiutato-quella-notte

Nordhal Lelandais, who had joined the wedding party after dinner, around 11:00 p. m., disappears for one hour from 1:30 a. m. to 2:30 p. m., just when the traces of Maëlys go missing. This is confirmed by numerous witnesses. He had been invited by the groom "for dessert".

Witnesses saw him talk to Maelys before her parents accompanied her in the room where she would have to rest with other children waiting for the end of the party. [*] The alarm is raised at 3 a. m. at night, when the mother discovers that Maelys has disappeared.


The area's security cameras framed the car as it returned home after the party, but the Audi A3 took at least twenty minutes longer than normal times. Have they served them to make the young girl's body disappear in a lake not far from his home?

A mobile phone that he had hidden at home. Investigators suspect that that night he might also have counted on the help of a friend or family member, perhaps aware of what had happened. The SIM card inside the smartphone is in his name.


BBM

I have noted some details that IMHO the French press has not mentioned (yet) - or I missed them.
Not sure how reliable this source is.
Note the same confusion about the times when NL was away and when Maëlys disappeared.


[*] According to other sources, Maëlys did not go to sleep, because she did not want to miss a thing. She would have spoken with her grandmother at 2.45 hrs.

 

[Sjm_qc]

Timeline revised and updated (no major changes, just trying to keep it as accurate as possible). Special thanks to ZaZara for finding more precise details, and/or pointing me in the right direction to find them .

Saturday 26th/Sunday 27th August

- At sometime unspecified time during the evening, Maelys' father has an argument/dispute/interaction with NL because he doesn't like NL showing videos to Maelys

- 1.30am: the childminder engaged to look after the ~20 children present at the wedding reception leaves. This is announced over the microphone by the DJ so that families are aware

- 2.45am: Maelys seen by/speaks to her grandmother

- "Around this time" (early articles, now either edited or unavailable mentioned ~2.30am): NL leaves the site. Early articles (now edited or unavailable) mentioned "to get cigarettes". NL's statement (during his first detention) says "to change his shorts because they were stained by wine". At some point he throws away the shorts "in a bin on the road". He claims to have been absent for "about an hour".

- ~3am - 3.10am (both times have been reported in articles quoting guests): DJ announces over the microphone that Maelys is missing & people (wedding guests) start searching - some take their cars to do so

- NO TIME ESTIMATE (it's just too fluid, because based on NL's lawyer's quotes and "sources" speaking to Dauphiné Libéré) NL returns to the site. IF the "absent for about an hour" statement is correct, it's just before, or around the time, or just after LE are called/arrive.

- 3.57am: LE are called & rapidly arrive on site. Official searches start. Remaining guests (all or some?) are detained on site until 7pm/19h

- 4.15am: the site manager (concierge/gardien), who lives in a house on/next to the site is woken to come back to the hall

- ~5am: the wedding photographer (who had left ~9.30pm/21:30) was called to come back with his photos

- Some time in the afternoon: NL deep cleans his car

- 7pm/19h: the last guests detained on site are allowed to go



Monday 28th August

- official investigation for kidnapping launched


Thursday 31st August

- 10.20am: NL is taken into custody for questioning

- NL's residence is searched for the first time

- another man taken into custody for questioning


Friday 1st September evening

- both NL & other man are released

- According to a friend interviewed by Le Parisien, NL goes to her house


Sunday 3rd September evening

- NL is arrested and formally put under investigation for kidnapping and unlawful confinement of a minor. He is remanded in custody and remains there


Monday 4th September

- confronted by DNA trace of Maelys in his car, NL admits she did get in his car ("dog" story), with another child. Then they got out and went back into the reception hall.


Tuesday 5th September

- NL's residence (parents' house) and the surrounding area is searched, this is the second search of the house


Wednesday 6th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the interior of NL's car (trunk/cargo area) was cleaned with a product, usually used for rims, which could throw sniffer dogs off a scent


Thursday 7th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the DNA trace (mixed trace Maëlys' and NL's)was found on a dashboard button to the left of the steering wheel, while NL's statement says she got into the back of the car via the right hand passenger door


Friday 8th September

- Dauphiné Libéré reports that the little boy NL claimed was with Maelys (getting into then out of his car) does not exist after LE investigations.

 

[ZaZara]

'SECURITY CAMERAS SHOW THE AUDI A3 TAKING AT LEAST 20 MINUTES LONGER THAN USUAL'

TorinoStar
http://www.torinostar.it/mondo/644_...dhal-lelandais-chi-lo-ha-aiutato-quella-notte

Nordhal Lelandais, who had joined the wedding party after dinner, around 11:00 p. m., disappears for one hour from 1:30 a. m. to 2:30 p. m., just when the traces of Maëlys go missing. This is confirmed by numerous witnesses. He had been invited by the groom "for dessert".

Witnesses saw him talk to Maelys before her parents accompanied her in the room where she would have to rest with other children waiting for the end of the party. [*] The alarm is raised at 3 a. m. at night, when the mother discovers that Maelys has disappeared.


The area's security cameras framed the car as it returned home after the party, but the Audi A3 took at least twenty minutes longer than normal times. Have they served them to make the young girl's body disappear in a lake not far from his home?

A mobile phone that he had hidden at home. Investigators suspect that that night he might also have counted on the help of a friend or family member, perhaps aware of what had happened. The SIM card inside the smartphone is in his name.


BBM

I have noted some details that IMHO the French press has not mentioned (yet) - or I missed them.
Not sure how reliable this source is.
Note the same confusion about the times when NL was away and when Maëlys disappeared.


[*] According to other sources, Maëlys did not go to sleep, because she did not want to miss a thing. She would have spoken with her grandmother at 2.45 hrs.

Another detail hidden in the same report:


Under scrutiny are also the movements during that night of a group of teenagers, children of guests, who were seen with Maelys shortly before her disappearance.


BBM

 

[drwx]

The scent dogs lose the girls trail at the parking place.

This guy who has absolutely no business whatsoever being with this little girl but shown an interest in her, has her DNA in his car and cleans that car very thoroughly like almost right after her disappearance. Right.

He conviniently forgets to mention this to the authorities, only when they find her DNA mixed with his own DNA in his thoroughly cleaned car (right after her dissappearence) he fesses up.

Nice touch by the way how he claims he wasn't alone with her in his car and that there was some other kid too who doesn't even seem to exist.
To bad for him the DNA trace was found on the opposite side where he claims she entered the car.
Oh no problem he has an explaintion for that too; "He simply forgot to mention he left the windows open all night long so yeah."

He is unaccounted for around the time this girl goes missing.
Presumable to buy sigarettes oh no sorry his bad *cough cough* he meant it was to change his wine stained shorts
But wait thats not all; He then takes those stained shorts with him to dump them in a trash can somewhere along the road.
That's thorough! He mustve wanted to get rid of those shorts ASAP.
Sound more like a concious effort to dispose of incriminating evidence.
And let me guess; They didnt find his shorts that could corroberate his whole "wine stain" story.
Oh my how convinient.

I dont even need to go over his scratch marks, his changing stories and deceptiveness and all those coincidences that put him square in the middle of the investigation as the main suspect.

This guy has a lot of explaining to do and that is putting it mildly.

Circumstial evidence and comon sense go a long way.

 

[Sjm_qc]

Urgh, WS won't let me quote Zazara's post

So, re the torinostar.it article:

I too have no idea whether this is a reliable source or not. And I struggle (that's an understatement!!) with Italian. I do notice that some of the "details" they mention are rumours that have been flying around on FB, but have not appeared in MSM.

For the moment, I'm going to say that IMO, there are too many discrepancies with *numerous* French media articles for me to take it seriously. I'm sticking with French Media outlets that I DO know and trust (as far as I trust any media )

ETA: I have a suspicion (my Italian isn't good enough to be entirely sure) that quite a lot of that article is copy-paste from FB . I could be wrong.

 

[Jim_M]

Has there been any research done into this suspect's background? Does he have any kind of record? Have there been any other missing children in that area? And how can they make this person talk with truths? I know, questions everyone has covered I'm sure. MHO as always.

 

[Sjm_qc]

Has there been any research done into this suspect's background? Does he have any kind of record? Have there been any other missing children in that area? And how can they make this person talk with truths? I know, questions everyone has covered I'm sure. MHO as always.

Yes. It's known that he has been in trouble with the Law for drugs, theft from vehicles, and has an arson conviction (1 year sentence in 2008 for the last one). According to his family members, the drug charges date from "many years ago"/"his youth". This has been reported in French MSM.

RUMOUR (NB: NOT reported in MSM) has it that he may have been discharged from the army on medical grounds.

Other than 5 years as a dog-handler in the army, he has never had a steady job, only part-time, temporary or seasonal work. He has been on sick leave (invalidity) allegedly, for the last few months because of back problems.

There are, as far as I can see, but I have only just started looking, no other recent unsolved missing children's cases in the area.

 

[Sjm_qc]

A reminder, because there's no new news this morning so far, that the results of the analyses from the Tuesday search of NL's home should be coming through soon.

I hope/expect that at least the Dauphiné Libéré will update on that.

A couple of other observations:

LE are throwing a lot of resources into the Chailles Gorges searches. They've been there since Wednesday, IMO, they have solid reasons for this.

There are no municipal video surveillance cameras in Pont-Beauvoisin (where Maelys disappeared) . They are due to be installed this month (planned from before her disappearance).

I don't know if there are any in Domessin (where NL lives.

 

[ZaZara]

Urgh, WS won't let me quote Zazara's post

So, re the torinostar.it article:

I too have no idea whether this is a reliable source or not. And I struggle (that's an understatement!!) with Italian. I do notice that some of the "details" they mention are rumours that have been flying around on FB, but have not appeared in MSM.

For the moment, I'm going to say that IMO, there are too many discrepancies with *numerous* French media articles for me to take it seriously. I'm sticking with French Media outlets that I DO know and trust (as far as I trust any media )

ETA: I have a suspicion (my Italian isn't good enough to be entirely sure) that quite a lot of that article is copy-paste from FB . I could be wrong.

Aha! That is good to know. I have no FB so I do miss a lot. Usually I do not mind, and maybe I do not mind in this case either. I have seen a lot of drivel on other forums. Won't repeat that here.

The detail about the security cameras was particularly striking because IMHO there would not be that many along the road, this is the countryside and we are not in the centre of Paris where cameras will follow every step of the way-- and how many of those cameras would be pointed at the road? Then again, it would take only one or cameras at crucial points to tell a story.

So let's hope LE will end up finding as many cameras as rumour wants them to.

One thing I am pretty certain about though from other sources is that he arrived at around 11 o'clock at the party. I wonder what he did between the toast and the dessert. There were other gatherings nearby, would he have gone there to sell drugs?

This coming and going of his is so odd. I can understand that someone would leave after the toast and come back after the dinner. But then leave again for an hour and return and leave again....?? He might even have joined another party and been partying at two places at the same time. Like a true bigamist, feastwise.