INTL - Alessia & Livia Schepp (twins), 6, 30 Jan 2011 - Italy, Switzerland and France

[Hazel]

....continued

Notes:
-The neighbour is the very last person to have seen Matthias and the girls.
-From this point on, they attempt to do a reconstruction of what happened the next few hours.

Sunday, Jan. 30 – The next morning around 11:00 am Matthias goes back to the neighbour's and asks if he can leave the twins there, because he has something to do.
What did he do during those two hours? Where did he go? Did he have the cellphone with him? Did he call someone? Did he meet someone? And if so, where?

By the time Matthias picks up the twins, two hours later, around 1:00 pm, lunch at the neighbour's is almost ready, but Matthias is in a hurry, he takes the girls saying that he has to go to his cousin's place … that is a lie, the first lie.
Note: later in the video, Irina says that it was close to 3 hours : that Matthias dropped off the girls a bit past 10 am.

He goes back home with his daughters, but they didn't have lunch. Irina told that she found two glasses on a table and a lasagna in the oven (not eaten).
What did those glasses contain? And what happened in the house at lunchtime that Sunday?
Note: Just read today in a news article, that no traces of poison were found in those 2 glasses. Need to verify that info though.

At 2:30 pm the neighbour's son wanted to continue playing with Alessia and Livia. The neighbour went personally and rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. The problem the neighbour has is that he doesn't want to say that there was nobody there, because he doesn't know that for sure. They think that at that time, 2:30 pm, Matthias and the girls had already left.

Reporter's voice: Was Matthias still home and he didn't want to answer the door? Or was he already gone with the girls?

Reporter at intersection: Sunday, Jan. 30, at a time that cannot be specified (between 13:00 and 14:30), MS leaves home in his black Audi, with the girls aboard, travels a street until he reaches an intersection. At that point, he has two options:
– if he turns right, after 1 km, driving towards Losanna, there is an entry to a highway
– the other option would be to turn left. That road would take him towards St. Sulpice, then Morges, driving towards Ginevra, where there are other entries to the Highway (Autostrada).


At 3:50 pm cell ping by antenna in Morges (5 km away from his home); therefore, it took Matthias almost 2 hours to drive only 5 km!! Where could he have gone in the meantime? And what did he do then?
And where are the girls, who didn't even had lunch? What does he do in order to keep them quiet?

[Then they show the girls' stuffed toys, which I already explained in a previous post.]

The cellphone signals a central area in Morges, but the highway cuts the town in two, his cellphone could have been pinged by the antenna while he was driving on the highway, in direction towards Genevra, bound to France.

More time goes by...two hours...6:04 pm..... but to reach Ginevra via the highway, it would have taken him only 40 minutes, not two hours. What did he do during that period of time? Did he meet someone? Nobody has reported seeing him, let alone the twins.

to be continued ......​

 

[Hazel]

....continued

By then Irina starts wondering when he is bringing the girls back. She sends him an SMS at 5:50 pm.
He is late reporting back; he is not respecting the agreement.
Last SMS of Matthias came at 6:21 pm, from the highway, close to the exit to Annecy. He is answering Irina's SMS.
His answer was “Won't bring you the girls this evening, but I'll bring them tomorrow morning to school” - and that one is certainly another lie, because by then he is already at Annecy. It took him 17 minutes to drive from Ginevra to Annecy, he had respected the speed limit.

Then he travels to Lione, where he arrives at 7:38 pm; took him more than one hour to drive less than 50 Km. There he probably made a stop, to gas up maybe? And the girls? Hasn't he feed them yet? (Well, this program was made before we got confirmation of Matthias caught by surveillance camera at the Lione airport).


At that point Matthias cuts off all communication with the world : he turns off his cellphone. Hopefully he has brought some blankets in the car. And the little girls? Are they still with him?

In the meantime, their mom is looking for them. She went to their home, it must have been around 09:00 pm, and there was nobody there. Then she noticed by the front door the 2 backpacks that are the ones she prepares whenever they go to spend the weekend at Matthias, containing change of clothes and their stuffed animals. The carseats/booster seats are in Irina's car. He had taken them in a rush.
How did the girls travel in that car. The next day, Monday, Jan. 31 the Audi arrives at Marseille, but that is another story.

Back to St. Sulpice, Irina had called LE, together they entered Matthias' house, when she finds Matthias' will, she panics, but LE calms her down. In the Press Conference, the spokesperson for the Swiss LE describes that evening: ....

(I remember watching, maybe in the previous program, Irina going first to Matthias, then to the neighbours house, then to Matthias' cousin looking for the Audi and the girls. Whenever I get some time, and find that part, will post it here)
Hope this helps a bit ​

 

[Daisyjane]

That was EXACTLY the point I was trying to convey when I asked for the ORIGINAL text of the letter, which was written in French.

I would REALLY appreciate if someone with good knowledge of French could be so kind as to find that original letter for us. We know that French, Italian and Spanish are very rich languages, with lots of synonyms and descriptive words for absolutely everything.

As I said in previous posts, I found Matthias' letter already translated

In Italian the phrase I found was: ""Le bambine riposano in pace, non hanno sofferto"
that translates literally as what people say when someone dies: R.I.P. or Rest in Peace, so

translated into English it would mean: "the little girls are resting in peace, they did not suffer"
translated into Spanish it would be: "las niñas descansan en paz, no han sufrido"

We know those are not his exact words, since he didn't write the letter in Italian, and IMO sounds odd that a father will express himself like that about her daughters, to me it sounds too much like a 'cliche'

As you can see, there is no mention in this Italian translation of the word "place", but in the news I've read it being referred to as a peaceful or tranquil place, and in an English paper I've even seen it referred to as a "quiet place" ..... we DO need the French version to see which exact words Matthias chose.

Here are links to the French excerpts from that letter. The quotes are "Elles reposent désormais en paix, elles n'ont pas souffert" and "Il a encore dit qu'elles n'ont pas souffert et qu'elles demeurent en paix"

I once spoke French well, but now not so much. That being said, I believe these translate to 'they are resting in peace".

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/dossier/jumelles/story/29910531

and

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/dossier/jumelles/story/12253324

 

[peeples]

You are awesome Hazel!!!

 

[Hazel]

Here are links to the French excerpts from that letter. The quotes are "Elles reposent désormais en paix, elles n'ont pas souffert" and "Il a encore dit qu'elles n'ont pas souffert et qu'elles demeurent en paix"

I once spoke French well, but now not so much. That being said, I believe these translate to 'they are resting in peace".

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/dossier/jumelles/story/29910531

and

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/dossier/jumelles/story/12253324

Thanks Daisyjane,
That's what I've been finding, except that if you continue reading, it says that is what was posted in the Italian newspapers.
In other French papers, they quote il Corriere della Sera as their source for the content of the letter.

(I don't know French, though can recognize a few words and the rest I just guess, lol)

Selon le site du quotidien italien «El Corriere della Serra», il a notamment écrit cette phrase terrible : «Elles reposent désormais en paix, elles n'ont pas souffert.»
http://www.leparisien.fr/marseille-13000/le-pere-avait-annonce-la-mort-des-jumelles-dans-une-lettre-11-02-2011-1310111.php

«Elles reposent en paix, elles n'ont pas souffert»: Jean-Christophe Sauterel, porte-parole de la police, a confirmé vendredi en milieu de journée les révélations de la presse italienne.

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/dossier/jumelles/story/29910531

IIRC, that particular letter is one of the two letters that were found still inside the mailbox at the Cerignola train station. That was the mailbox that was no longer in use, where we could see lots of rust inside, reason why the letters were not picked up like all the others, and sent to Bari, which is where all the mail that is collected from that region goes to, to be mailed from there.

What I am now thinking is perhaps that particular letter went directly from the Italian LE to Irina, and perhaps that's why the Swiss nor French papers didn't have access to it?

I really don't know, I am just speculating, because I cannot think of any other reason why the French articles have to quote the Italian papers, translating from Italian into French.

In any case, if that translation is correct, then Matthias did not describe "the place", he was only saying that they were resting in peace, and that could be anywhere (still hope he was lieing)
(Not sure if I explained it clearly)
------------------------
lol peeples, thanks, hope it helped

 

[Hazel]

This week's TV program of Chi L'ha Visto? was broadcasted not long ago.

I haven't watched it, just read on FB that it will be available online tomorrow.

While it was "on" people there were transcribing on FB, and now there is one person that has posted

translation in English of those posts. If anyone is interested, that person's initials are ES.

I would just 'copy and paste' her posts, but it is against WS rules to post from FB.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Missing-Alessia-Livia/169083213138407

Also, apparently Irina has made an appeal to people to please help doing ground searches in Switzerland, France and Italy. Days ago I read people were organizing these type of searches, but LE told them to hold on, that it was too soon or something like that, so I don't know if Irina's request is something that came from her, or if LE has approved?

 

[Wondergirl]

Thank-you, Hazel! ​

You're summary of the video is VERY MUCH appreciated. So, many details we wouldn't have known, due to the language barrier.

:gthanks:​

 

[Wondergirl]

FWIW, there is someone who has possibly seen the twins with a dark haired woman that looked like the missing woman, Katia, in the Canary Islands: .

The woman has written: "S ono was a resort in the Canary Islands on the island of Tenerife from 7th to 14th February and for two each morning at breakfast I saw a lady brunette with long hair in the company of two girls who had nothing in common with you. Were similar to the reason, while the woman resembled tremendously to Katia Iritano. Maybe I am wrong but I would recommend to make a control in the resort in question '.

Sara clarifies that it has no desire to gain any fame, claiming that the role of eyewitness: ' I have this doubt when I went back and I do not want to mislead nor remain uncertain of not having done enough. Please check, certainly saw in the days just prior to my departure sometime around then tentatively 11 or 12 February».

Now, once again, the ball investigators will go to to see if you should extend the investigations in Spain.

Pictured: Katia Iritano, disappearance from a village vicinto St. Sulpice in the days immediately prior to the disappearance of reason.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/...stimone-viste-katia-iritano-resort-canarie%2F

 

[Wondergirl]

Texas Mist gave me permission to paraphrase ES translation of the Italian TV Chi l'Ha Visto? show tonight, as translated on the Missing Alessia & Livia Facebook Group. (Thanks for the heads-up Hazel, this is important info)

-The owner of the mysterious coat in MS' house has been located.

-The twins family, Katia Iritano's (missing woman) family, and Swiss LE all feel the two sets of disappearances are unrelated

-A pair of muddy boots has been found by Irina at the home in Switzerland, and LE is looking to match the mud on the boots to the mud found on the car.

-There is a new witness that seen MS and the girls on the day of the disappearance, in a village between St-Sulpice and Geneve.

-The CAR may have been parked in an unusual position inside the house gates, in the hours prior to the disappearance. Speculation as to whether it was parked that way in order to load it.

-The girl's toothbrushes were found in the dustbin, together with suitcase tags.

Posted by ES at apx. 5:30 pm, February 23, 2011 on the Missing Alessia & Livia Facebook Page wall.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Missing-Alessia-Livia/169083213138407?v=wall

 

[Wondergirl]

From what I can determine via Bing Translator, it seems as if there is a discussion regarding The Bahia Principe-Tenerife Resort. I think this is the Resort in the Canary Islands where the woman possibly seen the girls with the missing woman.

People on the FB group seem to be looking for vacation photos during the week in question, in case the girls were captured on the photos.

This got me thinking - what about looking for vacation photo's on Corsica (Korsika?) Island during the time in question? It can't hurt, and would be something to sleuth. I know it was off-peak tourist time for Corsica, but, still, there might be some pics out there.

 

[Daisyjane]

Here is a link to a photo slideshow of the missing twins.

http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/3444-0.html

 

[Hazel]

Just watched last night's Chi L'ha Visto? (Italian Missing Person's weekly TV program). This week's program is not one hundred percent dedicated to Alessia & Livia, but still contains new details and new developments.

Will add a couple more info to what was posted in FB:

We have already read that according to Matthias' family, he was suffering from schizophrenia, but in last night's Chi L'Ha Visto?, when asked about Matthias illness, Irina says that NO, he was never diagnosed with schizophrenia, that he was not seeing a psychology/psychiatrist(?), that they did however seek advice from a family therapist for their marriage problems. She adds that first signs of the couple's troubles started probably at the end of 2007, so they were having problems since 2008. That her decision of separating and ending the marriage was not an easy decision, that she put a lot of reflection/thought. She says there was lack of communication between them.

She describes him as a loner / a sportsperson / very reliable that whenever he said he was going to do something, he will do it / very punctual / also had a sense of humour.

Latest Sighting:
Irina mentioned there is a new credible sighting of Matthias AND the little twins:
A woman who says she saw Matthias AND the little twins that Sunday, Jan. 30, at around 2:30 pm, in PREVERENGES, a village between St. Sulpice and Ginevra. Irina says Preverenges is 5 minutes drive from Matthias house.


here is the link : Chi l'Ha Visto? - Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011 : http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-a2ff9765-3daa-4a10-83c5-87ada07d4e13.html#p=0

 

[Hazel]

Livia and Alessia​

In this picture the girls look a bit older to me. I also noticed that Alessia looks different in all the pictures we've seen....I had been thinking that I would easily recognize Livia if I see her, but not so much Alessia. JMHO.​

 

[Daisyjane]

Nothing really new or concrete here, but at least the twins' story remains in the news.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022503091.html

Corsica again the focus of search for Swiss twins

The Associated Press Friday, February 25, 2011; 11:04 AMGENEVA -- Swiss police say they are refocusing on the French island of Corsica in their search for 6-year-old Swiss twins missing since Jan. 30. The police also said Friday the girls were last seen with their father at a beach near Morges, Switzerland. They said there is no link between the girls' disappearance and a Swiss woman named Katia Iritano who disappeared on Jan. 25. Some had speculated she might have known the girls' father.

The Swiss police said they have no formal proof the father, Matthias Kaspar Schepp, took his daughters Alessia and Livia on a ferry to Corsica before throwing himself under a train in Italy on Feb. 3. They said nonetheless that investigators "are giving the most weight to the Corsica trail, but without rejecting other hypotheses."

 

[Hazel]

Matthias Schepp Funeral at Oberwill [Bern, Switzerland]

About one hundred people gathered today at a church in Oberwil, to attend the funeral of Matthias Schepp.

During the funeral ceremony LE surrounded the perimeter of the church, in order to prevent onlookers and reporters from approaching.

The absence of his ex-wife Irina was much noticed and talked about at the funeral.

No information has come out regarding the results of the autopsy on MS's body; nothing about the procedures of repatriation of his remains nor who went to Cerignola to identify and bring his body back to Switzerland.

That is one aspect that cannot go unnoticed because those are details that usually the media has access to, but not in this sad case.

The only 'sure" fact that has come out (the " " have been put on purpose) is that Matthias Schepp died by throwing himself under a train.

http://www.ticinolive.ch/svizzera/matthias-schepp-oggi-il-funerale-a-oberwil-11251.html​

I am trying to figure out what exactly is being said (or implied) in that last sentence. I don't think there is any shred of doubt that the body is M's, right? :waitasec: I am sure they must have dental records and done DNA testing. I had previously read an article that after the autopsy was completed, his body remained unclaimed for quite a while. Will try and see if I can find that article...

 

[Fukiyama]

Was Matthias Catholic?

 

[swanny]

The lack of concrete information serves to make this even more anguishing, if possible, for the mother. The reality is that there is no concrete information about the twins, following the father's departure from Switzerland. No witness statements are considered definite and CCTV evidence of the father (for example, withdrawing cash in Marseille) always shows him alone.

I can't help feeling that if the father intended to kill the children, and it was pre-mediated, he would not have risked taking them on a ferry. They could have alerted suspicion, by calling out for their mother for example, at any time.

 

[Hazel]

The lack of concrete information serves to make this even more anguishing, if possible, for the mother. The reality is that there is no concrete information about the twins, following the father's departure from Switzerland. No witness statements are considered definite and CCTV evidence of the father (for example, withdrawing cash in Marseille) always shows him alone.

I can't help feeling that if the father intended to kill the children, and it was pre-mediated, he would not have risked taking them on a ferry. They could have alerted suspicion, by calling out for their mother for example, at any time.

So far, everything is pointing to premeditation. He wanted to leave the girls with the neighbour Saturday afternoon/evening? so he lost some time there. Also he had no way of knowing that Irina would find out that they were gone that same Sunday evening. He probably expected she would receive a phone call from school the following day when they noticed the girls absence and no parents' notification.
The long trip looks like he was trying to distance himself from wherever he became separated from the girls, and he succeeded in making this so difficult and complicated for the LE in tracking his movements


In the following article, it says that another piece of the car key as well a few more fragments of the GPS plastic cover were found during the new ground search conducted last week by 100 volunteers in coordination with LE .

In the coming days the volunteers will try along the other two tracks (traffic has to be diverted, and rail tracks closed in order for volunteers to search).

So far no fragments of the internal memory of the GPS have been found along the tracks....
investigators believe that MS did not have the tape-recorder on him at the time of the suicide because no traces of it has been found, not even one fragment.

http://bari.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/02/27/news/gemelline_trovato_un_pezzo_delle_chiavi-12964683/

 

[Hazel]

Was Matthias Catholic?

I have no idea Fukiyama.

Are you thinking along the lines of >> monastery >> convent >> cloister ?

Just wanted to make a correction : I had said earlier that his family was French, I think his family is Swiss instead, and judging by the last name, I'll venture a guess : Swiss German.

 

[Fukiyama]

I have no idea Fukiyama.

Are you thinking along the lines of >> monastery >> convent >> cloister ?

Just wanted to make a correction : I had said earlier that his family was French, I think his family is Swiss instead, and judging by the last name, I'll venture a guess : Swiss German.

No. I seriously doubt he could leave his daughters with any Church institution and have it remain secret.

My thought in asking is that he got some kind of church memorial service. I hope it was not a Catholic funeral mass. A few years ago a father killed his family before committing suicide and there was a bit of a stir over him getting a funeral since he was an unrepentant murderer.