Affaire Ludovic Janvier : 40 ans après, la disparition du petit garçon de six ans reste toujours un mystère
The case of Ludovic Janvier : fourty years later, the little boy's disappearance is still a mystery.
"It was on march 17th 1983, in Saint-Martin-d’Hérès (Isère), little Ludovic, six years old, is kidnapped from the street, in front of his big brother. Today, the case is still unsolved. The case was just transfered to the « Cold Case unit » recently created in Nanterre.
In the beginning of march 1983, before the drama, the Janvier family is composed with Jean-Bernard, family’s father, Maryline, the mother, and four children, Jérôme 7 and a half years ld, Ludovic 6 years old, Virginie 5 years old and Nicolas, 2 years old.
The family had been living for a few weeks in Isère, in Grenoble’s suburban.
(…)
« I understood that I made a mistake »
Their life changes on march 17th 1983. That one evening, Virginie, the little sister, isn’t with her parents and other siblings in their aunt’s house. A house in which one the family stay for a few weeks before they go back to their home. Virginie is celebrating her fifth birthday, at her grandmother’s house in Sarthe.
A little before 19, the father ask to his oldest son, Jérôme, to go grab him some cigraettes. Jérôme goes on with his two brothers. The store is not very far from the house, on the other side of the square. But their life changes. On the way, the two children meet a man. He explains that he lost his dog, and that if they help him to find it, he will give them candies. Jérôme, who was with his brother, remembers about it as if itw as yesterday. « I let Ludovic go with this man. When I saw the look he was giving to me, I understood that I made a mistake, but it was too late. This guilt still eats me. Ludovic’s look haunts me.
Since that terrible evening, no one has heard from Ludovic. Jérôme was obviously interviewed many times by the police. He talks about a man wearing a motorcycle hemlet and a work overalls. A police sketch was made, but it lead to no result. An investigation for kidnapping and sequestration is open.
Two years after his disappearance, a 6/7 years old child skeleton is found in a cave. It’s only in 2008 that the family claims for a DNA testing, but the skeleton had then gone missing.
Closure of investigations, lack of witnesses, dismissal of charges... this mysterious affair has experienced multiple twists and turns, but has never really been elucidated. Due to lack of evidence, the case was first dismissed in 1988.
The « Missing from Isère »
But children’s disappearaces keep coming in Isère. From 1980 to 1990, children from 5 to 15 are killed, kidnapped or reported missing in this area. The case is named « The missing from Isère ». In 2008, an investigation unit called « Minors 38 » is created. The case of Ludovic’s disappearance is a part of it. In 2014, the case is dismissed for the second time. One years later, the investigation is relaunched.
The hope of the new « Cold cases unit »
In 2023, a real unexpected hope : an unit dedicated to the « cold cases », these unsolved cases, is created inside the judicial court of Nanterre. This unit takes back 77 unsolved cases from it’s creation. The oldest of these 77 cases is Ludovic Janvier’s case.
This drama destroyed Jérôme’s family : « My parents, who loved each other, they separated. My mother fell into depression, my father too. He died from sadness » in 2007. »
