Investigations are continuing, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze (Gard), the day after the discovery of bones, and cases that could belong to Lucas Tronche, a 15-year-old teenager, who disappeared without a trace on March 18, 2015 Forensic examinations, as well as genetic analyzes, “if possible”, said Thursday Eric Maurel, the public prosecutor of Nîmes, will be carried out, to try to know if the human remains found are indeed those of the young person Bagnolais, who disappeared more than six years ago, when he had to go to a swimming lesson.
But for the investigators, that does not seem to make any more doubt. The place of the discovery was “usually frequented by Lucas Tronche,” said the prosecutor. The teenager, passionate about geology, came there to look for stones, which he collected. “In fact, the backpack which was discovered, albeit damaged, by bad weather, strongly resembles the one used by Lucas Tronche. And the debris of clothing also strongly resembles what the teenager had. “There are a number of elements of plausibility leading to believe that we may have found the trace of this unfortunate child”, and that the human remains are his.
A “particularly steep” area
The place of discovery is approximately 1 km from the house where the teenager and his family lived. But, despite intense research and investigations, they had not been found since the disappearance of Lucas Tronche on March 18, 2015. The area had yet been searched, but, until then, no clue had been discovered . “I would like to point out that the area in which these elements were discovered is particularly steep,” said the prosecutor. It is a sheer cliff, about 50 to 60 meters high. This explains why these elements could not be discovered until then. We could [avec la juge d’instruction] noted the difficulty of access to these places. “
The Gard 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 excluded
Operations ordered by the investigating judge had been carried out on these places for a week. But if the M6 channel had brought the investigation back to light, on June 7, with Calls for witnesses, the Nîmes prosecutor indicates that the discovery of these clues on Thursday has no connection with the calls received during the show.
From now on, after years without any real lead, the investigations will take another turn in the Gard: if it is indeed the bones of Lucas Tronche, what happened? According to the prosecutor, this discovery in Bagnols-sur-Cèze does not allow to exclude any hypothesis: “It could just as well be an accidental fall, a voluntary gesture of throwing oneself into the void or an altercation”, indicated Eric Maurel .
Today, “comes the time of silence”, write his parents
On Thursday, the parents of Lucas Tronche published, through the social networks of the SOS Lucas Tronche association, a message in which they thank those who have contributed to the research, for six years. “The discovery of a body that could be that of Lucas seems to put an end to these six years of research but also of hope. Six years that you have been with us, unwavering support. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, ”they write.
⚠️Message from Lucas’s parents on Thursday, June 24, 2021:
Éric and Nathalie Tronche would like to thank all the people who mobilized to find Lucas during these 6 long years:
– Lucas Tronche (@SOSLucasTronche) June 24, 2021
Today, continue the parents of Lucas Tronche, “comes the time of silence. 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. “