The investigators discovered, this Friday, in Bagnols-sur-Céze (Gard), new objects, which belong to Lucas Tronche: a jacket and a watch, indicated the public prosecutor of Nîmes, Eric Maurel. According to the magistrate, it is “almost certain” that these cases belong to this teenager, who disappeared in 2015.
In addition, new bones were found in the same area. It is here, on a cliff, that human remains, debris of clothing and a backpack, probably that of Lucas Tronche, were found on Thursday. In the backpack, we learn this Friday, there is no jersey or towel. While the teenager, at the time of his disappearance, had to go to a swimming lesson, which he has never been to.
Shoes were also found
Shoes, “sneakers”, were also discovered. “It is not certain that these are those worn by Lucas Tronche, verifications will be made,” said the Nîmes prosecutor. His mother did not recognize them formally. The investigators will notably focus on verifying if it is indeed shoes of the teenager’s size. But, “a teenager grows up quickly,” noted Eric Maurel. At the family home, Lucas Tronche “had shoes of several sizes”.
As for the human remains, they will be subjected to analyzes. But the investigation is moving “more and more towards the identification of Lucas Tronche,” said the prosecutor. “Forensic expertise and genetic samples will allow us to ensure that we are indeed in the presence of the bones” of the adolescent.
A “steep” area
Although the area, where he often traveled with his father, had already been searched, until Thursday, no clues had been discovered. Thursday afternoon, the Nîmes prosecutor explained that this place, located about 1 km from the house where Lucas Tronche and his family lived, “is particularly steep. It is a sheer cliff, about 50 to 60 meters high. This explains why these elements could not be discovered until then. “
The firefighters had to “clear the area” to access it “by the base of the cliff and create a path,” said Eric Maurel. On the other hand, “on the heights, there are hunter’s trails, which allow access to the cliff”, but the clues discovered were “halfway up the cliff, therefore inaccessible” without the reinforcement of the firefighters, who have rappelled, the prosecutor noted.
No hypothesis is ruled out
Now, after years without any real lead, the investigations will take another turn. “In view of the elements that have been found, and pending forensic expertise, it is impossible to favor one hypothesis over another,” said the prosecutor on Friday. Is this an accidental fall? The configuration of the ground makes it possible to envisage it. Was there a meeting with a third person, either wanted or fortuitous, who would have pushed Lucas Tronche into the void? We can’t rule it out. “But, according to the prosecutor,” the configuration of the land makes it difficult to imagine that someone has transported the body from the bottom of the cliff to the highest point. But we can’t rule it out either. “
But the investigation will be difficult. “The body has remained in nature,” explained the Nîmes prosecutor. Nature has been there. The animals have been there. What are the elements that relate to possible blows, the results of the fall or the intervention of nature? Only specialists will perhaps be able to tell us. “
Thursday, the parents of the teenager published, through the association SOS Lucas Tronche, a message in which they thank those who contributed to the research, for six years. Today, they wrote, “the time for silence has come. This silence, once deafening, is necessary to allow us to collect ourselves, to try to appease ourselves and to continue from now on without it. This silence leaves room for the ongoing investigation. We will never forget our beloved Lucas. “