But what happened to Mélodie Mendes Da Silva? More than two weeks after his disappearance, the mystery remains unsolved and his absence increasingly enigmatic. Since November 3, this young Marseillaise has no longer given any sign of life, even though she had just left her home. The case took a new turn this Saturday with the reclassification of the investigation by the Marseille prosecutor’s office for “kidnapping and sequestration”. 20 minutes make the point.
What are the facts ?
On Friday, November 3, late in the afternoon, Mélodie Mendes Da Silva left her home located in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille. On the video surveillance images, we can see her dressed all in black, without her handbag, as if she was away for a short time. According to information from Parisian, the young woman sends a voice message on Snapchat to her sister indicating that she is outside and can be reached if necessary. At the microphone of France 3, his companion claims for his part to have received a message at 5:50 p.m. Since then, nothing. The last geolocation of the young woman according to her phone was at 7:24 p.m. And relatively far from his home, in the 11th arrondissement.
His disappearance was only reported three days later by his companion. At the microphone of BFMTV, the latter explained why he delayed notifying the police. “We thought it was in relation to the death of her mother who had died some time before, that she wanted to take a step back and be alone. But hey, when Sunday arrived, the next day, I had the children go back to school. Not seeing her, I really start to panic. Not having heard from him, I was a little in denial. I didn’t know exactly what to do. I know you have to wait forty-eight hours before declaring a person missing. »
A first judicial investigation was opened on November 14 for a worrying disappearance, before, this Friday, the public prosecutor of Marseille Nicolas Bessone reclassified the facts as “kidnapping and sequestration”.
Who is the victim ?
Mélodie Mendes Da Silva is a beautician from Marseille. Mother of two children aged 9 and 15 according to The Parisian, she was experiencing painful mourning at the time of her disappearance. On October 12, the young woman lost her mother, leading to a trip to Cape Verde, her country of origin, to organize the funeral with her brothers and sisters. Still according to this source, citing Marseille public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone, the young woman was unknown to the police and seemed to lead a stable life. According to our colleagues, the young woman, who aspired to open her beauty institute, had just acquired commercial premises, and had recently started her own business with her sister.
This Saturday, her relatives organized a white march and a hunt in Marseille to try to clarify the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the thirty-year-old which they cannot explain. “After a while, we would like to at least know a little more,” said Pearl, her companion, on BFMTV on Saturday, on the sidelines of the march. It’s my children who keep me going, that’s where I get my resources. » The demonstrators stopped in front of the police headquarters with, printed on their t-shirts, the wanted notice posted for several days in the streets and the metro of France’s second city.
Why this reclassification of the investigation?
“It is relatively classic to change the judicial framework in a situation of this kind,” declared Nicolas Bessone this Saturday in the columns of Provence. We are not aware of any new worrying elements, but there seems to be no reason why she disappeared voluntarily. » When contacted, the public prosecutor of Marseille did not respond to our requests to provide further explanations.
This reclassification of the facts caused the astonishment of those close to him, who learned about it through the press, as the march ended. “It’s very, very hard,” confides the young woman’s best friend, Massiata, to 20 minutes. It’s shocking to hear the news like this. We still have no news and it’s getting harder and harder. » To our colleagues, Nicolas Bessone reminds that “departmental security is working on the case” and hopes for “a favorable outcome. »