FULL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH THE LAWYER OF MAËLYS' FAMILY
Le Dauphine
http://www.ledauphine.com/isere-nor...e-un-vrai-supplice-pour-les-parents-de-maelys
In an exclusive interview, Fabien Rajon, lawyer for Maëlys's parents, unveils the daily life of a family that is overwhelmed but remains dignified. And that still has the hope of knowing what happened to their child who disappeared on Sunday, August 27 at a wedding in Pont-de-Beauvoisin (Isère).
Master Rajon, you meet with Maëlys's parents on a daily basis. How have they been living for two weeks?
Their life can be summed up in one word: waiting. An unbearable wait, a real torment... A heavy atmosphere at home, too. With, at all times, the fear of a new telephone call from investigators, a revelation in the media confirming what we all fear... As the days go by, lack of sleep, fatigue and anxiety are also becoming more and more present.
What is their state of mind today?
I would like to underline their dignity. Maëlys's parents are good people: humble, discreet, who never tried to attract attention and who have established themselves through work. The father is a technician, the mother went back to school at the age of 30 to become a nurse, after years of working as a factory worker. They raised their two daughters with simple values: respect for each other and politeness. When I asked the mother if they might have had problems with any people, she told me, looking a little sorry, that her dogs often bark a little too loudly and that she had recently apologized to her neighbours. Obviously, nothing foretold them to see their destiny turn like this. But they're coping, to the degree that they can.
What do you know about this child? Can you tell us more about her, her character, her passions?
She is a nine-year-old girl who was preparing for her return to school in fourth grade, was a swimmer and was going to play football in September. The parents described to me a cheerful, lively girl, very attached to the three dogs on the family. This point is not insignificant. She doesn't fit the profile of a runaway. For a lot of people, Maëlys is a picture on a missing persons notice. For the parents, of course, she is more than just a picture...
Can they specify the sequence of events? When and how did they find out that their little girl was missing?
The parents did not fail to detail the chronology of the evening to the investigators. You will therefore allow me to respect the secrecy of the investigation and of the inquiry. What I can tell you at this stage is that at the end of the evening, the mother realizes that Maëlys has disappeared. She calls her, frightened, calls the wedding guests, searches for her everywhere in vain, with the father. A call to the DJ's microphone is launched and the gendarmes are called in emergency, because the mother is already asking herself questions and fears the worst.
What were her first insights?
The mother fears that something serious has happened to Maëlys at this very precise moment. Yes, I can tell you that his first intuition, at this time of the evening, is, alas, a kidnapping. My client is positive and has no doubt to date. She tells me that as soon as she realized that Maëlys had disappeared, she immediately searched for her daughter of course, but also for a man whose behaviour during the evening seemed strange to her.
What do you mean?
According to the mother, Maëlys described this man during the evening as her "friend" and would have designated him as her "uncle" to a guest of the wedding. This man would have talked to Maëlys, showing the girl and her mother pictures of her dogs on her phone. The mother then left, letting the conversation between Maëlys and this guest continue for a few minutes. Another disturbing fact: Maëlys's mother tells me that when she and her father and other guests are looking for their daughter, she comes across that individual outside. The latter did not seem to be particularly concerned by the searches, nor really worried about the girl's fate...
Some sources point to a discussion between Maëlys's father and this man about videos he would have shown to the girl during the evening? Can you tell us more about that?
This thesis doesn't match the version of the father that I spoke with him about. On the other hand, there is indeed a matter of pictures shown by this man from his phone to Maëlys. Apparently, a wallpaper with pictures of dogs on it. This worries the parents, who know that their daughter is passionate about animals and, in particular, dogs.
Was this man, who was recently indicted, known to Maëlys' parents?
No. No. Maëlys' parents didn't know him.
How did they feel about this indictment?
An indictment of a suspect, accompanied by an order for pre-trial detention after two successive police detentions, does not imply guilt. Maëlys' parents respect the presumption of innocence. However, unlike other cases of missing children, investigators seem to be holding a person who obviously has something to tell... And I would add that time is running out, as it is not just a matter of resolving a case and possibly referring an indictee to a court of law. But, as a matter of priority, to know what happened to Maëlys. That is why the parents, who did not wish to communicate until now, asked me to speak.
How do Maëlys's parents react to the inconsistencies that appear in the subject matter of the indictment?
Faced with these inconsistencies, the family form an opinion: why does Maëlys' DNA appear in the car of the person under investigation? Why does the latter disappear from the scene, according to the mother, before the gendarmes arrived? What about his clothes and especially his shorts, that disappeared? What about the suspect's meticulous washing of his vehicle? Why does he say that the girl would have gotten into her car with a blond boy, who obviously only exists in her imagination? Added to the suspect's strange behaviour during the evening, as the mother tells me, these elements, if confirmed, are disturbing to say the least. The parents logically say that this man holds the keys to the case. And to the extent that time is of the essence, since it is a matter of the fate of a child, they inevitably invite the accused to finally reveal the truth and end the unbearable expectation imposed on them.
How are they surrounded during this time and by whom?
They can count on family, friends. They keep a certain discretion in the torment of this ordeal. And if they talk through me, their lawyer is because they want to know what happened to their daughter.
For the past 15 days, have your clients returned to the Jura? Did their eldest daughter return to school?
Currently, they live somewhere in Isère. The elder's first day of school was scheduled for Tuesday. I can't tell you more about this issue, which is a matter of privacy.
How do they spend their days?
This morning, the weather was sad and rainy. At home, in the kitchen, the television was turned on, connected to the news channels, the cups of coffee followed one after another. And the phone's never far away.
How do Maëlys' parents feel about the mobilization of the population, particularly in terms of field searches?
This does warm their hearts. This eagerness of solidarity, these people who have come from far away to help out, to participate in searches, these initiatives on the part of former classmates of the mother's nursing school... All this helps them to hold on and they ask me to sincerely thank all those who are working to find Maëlys and, in the first place, the investigators.
Have they been in contact with other families of missing children? Especially with Estelle Mouzin's dad?
Not that I'm aware of.
Your clients have called in a medium. Why?
Who would not, in such a desperate case, resort to all the possibilities of finding his child? So I don't judge my clients. Who could do that, by the way? On the other hand, I have alerted them to the risk of being approached by people who are ill-intentioned or likely to abuse their fragility, particularly in view of the accumulated fatigue. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case here. This character obviously abused them, as happens to many people in a situation of vulnerability in the face of tragedy or hardship. I am vigilant on this point and a criminal complaint for abuse of weakness is not ruled out.
Do they still have any hope of finding their daughter alive?
Objectively, every day spent without Maëlys adds, alas, to pessimism. But they always keep a certain hope... During their last vacation, they visited the Basilica of Fatima in Portugal together with Maëlys. The little girl had burned a candle there. They cling with difficulty to what they can.
How do they envision the future?
Maëlys' parents are currently living day by day.
BBM
Take a bow, sir. :takeabow: