Found Deceased South Africa - David Rene Roger Bellet-Brissaud, 48, Port Elizabeth, 13 Apr 2018

New Posts

cybervampira

cybervampira

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2014
Messages
15,973
Reaction score
68,921
French Ironman athlete missing in Port Elizabeth

A French athlete due to compete in this weekend's Ironman African Championships in Port Elizabeth has gone missing.
2c7401e047fa742dd22062fb1b623b25.jpg

David Rene Roger Bellet-Brissaud, 48, who lives in Gabon, and his wife booked into the Paxton Hotel at about 3.20pm on Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the couple took a walk along the beachfront once they had settled in and later joined friends for dinner at the Boardwalk.

They retired to their rooms at about 9pm, and when his wife woke up at 1am on Friday, she noticed that he was gone.

“CCTV footage shows that Bellet-Brissaud left the room and walked out the hotel and down the street. It is not clear in which direction he walked once on the main road.

“He did not take his wallet or cellphone with him. He was wearing a black hoody top with the words Adidas on the sleeves, blue jeans and takkies,” Naidu said.

“He wears prescription glasses and sports a beard. His hair is slightly long. His does not speak fluent English.

“It is the first time that the couple is visiting Port Elizabeth and this would have been his first race. He is not familiar with the place.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Warrant Officers Eric Mathews at SAPS Humewood on 083 380 3714 or Crime Stop 08600 1011 or SAPS Humewood on 041-5045019.

Article: https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-13-french-ironman-athlete-missing-in-port-elizabeth/
 
cybervampira said:
French Ironman athlete missing in Port Elizabeth

A French athlete due to compete in this weekend's Ironman African Championships in Port Elizabeth has gone missing.
2c7401e047fa742dd22062fb1b623b25.jpg

David Rene Roger Bellet-Brissaud, 48, who lives in Gabon, and his wife booked into the Paxton Hotel at about 3.20pm on Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the couple took a walk along the beachfront once they had settled in and later joined friends for dinner at the Boardwalk.

They retired to their rooms at about 9pm, and when his wife woke up at 1am on Friday, she noticed that he was gone.

“CCTV footage shows that Bellet-Brissaud left the room and walked out the hotel and down the street. It is not clear in which direction he walked once on the main road.

“He did not take his wallet or cellphone with him. He was wearing a black hoody top with the words Adidas on the sleeves, blue jeans and takkies,” Naidu said.

“He wears prescription glasses and sports a beard. His hair is slightly long. His does not speak fluent English.

“It is the first time that the couple is visiting Port Elizabeth and this would have been his first race. He is not familiar with the place.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Warrant Officers Eric Mathews at SAPS Humewood on 083 380 3714 or Crime Stop 08600 1011 or SAPS Humewood on 041-5045019.

Article: https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-13-french-ironman-athlete-missing-in-port-elizabeth/
Click to expand...
This is a very strange case.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
cybervampira said:
Right? He disappeared in the middle of the night out of his hotel bed? What was he doing?
Click to expand...

...in a city that he has not visited before, where he is not fluent in the language, and not taking his wallet or cellphone. Just beyond weird. This is the sort of case that creeps me out. Of course, he may have left for some very simple, but wrong-headed, reason such as a decision to take a walk to fight off insomnia, perhaps to take a look at a segment of the course he was to run this weekend. But still. No ID, no way to contact anyone? Not smart.
 
Aescwynn said:
...in a city that he has not visited before, where he is not fluent in the language, and not taking his wallet or cellphone. Just beyond weird. This is the sort of case that creeps me out. Of course, he may have left for some very simple, but wrong-headed, reason such as a decision to take a walk to fight off insomnia, perhaps to take a look at a segment of the course he was to run this weekend. But still. No ID, no way to contact anyone? Not smart.
Click to expand...

Re Insomnia:

I’d like to know if he took a sleep aid. Ambien is known for making people do strange things like this. I took it and got up in the middle of the night and went grocery shopping. I had no memory of it and only knew because I left bags of groceries sitting on the counter.

If he did take it and got up during the night he could easily have gotten lost in an unfamiliar town. He wouldn’t necessarily have had the forethought to bring a phone or ID if this was the case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Search continues for missing French Ironman athlete
https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-15-search-continues-for-missing-french-ironman-athlete/
The Ironman athlete who disappeared on Friday morning is still missing.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the police’s dog and diving units were deployed over the weekend searching for David Rene Roger Bellet-Brissaud, of Gabon.

Bellet-Brissaud, visiting the city for the first time, was in Port Elizabeth to compete in Sunday’s Standard Bank Ironman Africa Championship.

“At this stage we really don’t know the circumstances of his disappearance but we are probing all options – that is why we are using the divers and the dogs. We could not pick up any leads from the CCTV footage,” Naidu said.

[...]

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Warrant Officers Eric Mathews at SAPS Humewood on 083 380 3714 or Crime Stop 08600 1011 or SAPS Humewood on 041-5045019.
 
cybervampira said:
Search continues for missing French Ironman athlete
https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-15-search-continues-for-missing-french-ironman-athlete/
The Ironman athlete who disappeared on Friday morning is still missing.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the police’s dog and diving units were deployed over the weekend searching for David Rene Roger Bellet-Brissaud, of Gabon.

Bellet-Brissaud, visiting the city for the first time, was in Port Elizabeth to compete in Sunday’s Standard Bank Ironman Africa Championship.

“At this stage we really don’t know the circumstances of his disappearance but we are probing all options – that is why we are using the divers and the dogs. We could not pick up any leads from the CCTV footage,” Naidu said.

[...]

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Warrant Officers Eric Mathews at SAPS Humewood on 083 380 3714 or Crime Stop 08600 1011 or SAPS Humewood on 041-5045019.
Click to expand...
Hopefully there are other cameras around that can give them some info.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
WATCH | Missing Ironman's family offer reward
(Video at link)
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/so...-watch--missing-ironmans-family-offer-reward/
The family of the Ironman competitor who disappeared in Port Elizabeth ahead of the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship have offered a reward to anyone with information regarding his whereabouts.

[...]

Speaking through an interpreter on Monday morning‚ David’s brother Gael Bellet-Brissaud said the family was offering a R12‚000 reward to anyone with “concrete” information. He said they were speaking to French police to extend the search internationally.

David’s family started to arrive in the city – where police officials have deployed the K9 and dive units to search for him – on Sunday night. His sister Vanessa Perret Bellet-Brissaud described him as “just an ordinary guy”.

“He doesn’t smoke or drink. He is not a man with enemies and he worked at the same forestry company for the last 15 years‚” she said.

[...]
 
French athlete still missing

His brother and sister were briefed by police this morning on the investigation.

Bellet-Brissaud is still missing and police investigation in locating him is still ongoing.

Police have requested businesses along the beachfront (restaurants and pubs) to view their CCTV footage to see if any person fitting the description of Bellet-Brissaud may be picked up on their cameras while he may have been walking past.
The police K9 unit, SAPS Airwing and divers scouted the entire beachfront area in an attempt to trace him.
Click to expand...

https://www.talkofthetown.co.za/2018/04/16/french-athlete-still-missing/
 
and this was to be his first Ironman on top of the other firsts? Wow.
 
I've been to PE and stayed not far from this hotel. There's a very busy street in front, train tracks past that, and then a port area on the bay. Surely if he had gone walking in those areas, security cameras would show that. I don't know if that's true for the area in back of the hotel. Any South Africans here who can comment on that?
 
South Africa has a very high crime and murder rate. I really wonder what possessed him to go out walking around in the middle of the night. Even local people wouldn't do that over there. I actually had some youths attempt to rob me in broad daylight when I was walking down the street in Cape Town about 10 years ago during a trip there. It's just not a safe place.

I'm going to guess he ran into some bad people and since he didn't have anything with him for them to rob, they probably killed him and dumped him somewhere.
 
Police search harbour for missing Ironman

The search for the missing French Ironman athlete focused on the Port Elizabeth harbour on Tuesday after new CCTV footage showed a man matching his description entering the harbour - but not exiting.

Police divers, rescue dogs and the helicopter spent most of the day searching the harbour for David Bellet-Brissaud, 48, who was in the Bay to compete in the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship.

CCTV footage emerged of Bellet-Brissaud walking into the harbour via the Baakens Road entrance at about 1:10am on Friday.

By late Tuesday morning (17/04/18), and again in the afternoon, the police helicopter was doing an aerial search around the harbour while the K9 unit was deployed to assist.

[...]

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-17-police-search-harbour-for-missing--ironman/
 
cybervampira said:
Police search harbour for missing Ironman

The search for the missing French Ironman athlete focused on the Port Elizabeth harbour on Tuesday after new CCTV footage showed a man matching his description entering the harbour - but not exiting.

Police divers, rescue dogs and the helicopter spent most of the day searching the harbour for David Bellet-Brissaud, 48, who was in the Bay to compete in the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship.

CCTV footage emerged of Bellet-Brissaud walking into the harbour via the Baakens Road entrance at about 1:10am on Friday.

By late Tuesday morning (17/04/18), and again in the afternoon, the police helicopter was doing an aerial search around the harbour while the K9 unit was deployed to assist.

[...]

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-17-police-search-harbour-for-missing--ironman/
Click to expand...
I'm beginning to think suicide.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
cybervampira said:
Right? He disappeared in the middle of the night out of his hotel bed? What was he doing?
Click to expand...

The first thought that popped in my mind was, meeting someone. Just wild speculation and most likely wrong.

My second thought was, maybe he had indigestion and tried to help it by going for a walk.

Very strange case. I hope he is found but the latest news (harbor) don't sound hopeful.
 
I posted this the other night, but it disappeared.

He was from Gabon, so I'm sure he knew the "rules of the road" in South Africa which include not walking around by yourself after dark. It could be that a combination of jet lag, insomnia, medication, and not being familiar with Port Elizabeth contributed to whatever happened to him. I read the article about him walking into the harbour; I believe they mean the port area itself, rather than the water?
 
Koshka said:
I posted this the other night, but it disappeared.

He was from Gabon, so I'm sure he knew the "rules of the road" in South Africa which include not walking around by yourself after dark. It could be that a combination of jet lag, insomnia, medication, and not being familiar with Port Elizabeth contributed to whatever happened to him. I read the article about him walking into the harbour; I believe they mean the port area itself, rather than the water?
Click to expand...
Google maps link for the hotel he stayed at:
https://goo.gl/maps/RcPTEnFb7A32
Baakens Street where CCTV was captured is marked with an arrow (the article says Baakens Road though).
00d920d4fdc879d7da95feb16e16529a.jpg
 
A little more info:

Snipped from article:
Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said that divers had been sent into the water after video footage showed him entering a wharf within the harbour. The footage shows him jumping between three chokka boats docked alongside each other.

Police and security officials had also searched all three chokka boats this afternoon.

By 1pm‚ the police divers were deployed to search underneath‚ and next to‚ the chokka boats which were berthed at the wharf.

Naidu confirmed that CCTV footage of Bellet-Brissaud had been attained and showed him entering‚ but not leaving‚ a wharf on the harbour.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/so...earch-called-off-for-missing-ironman-entrant/
 
Koshka said:
A little more info:

Snipped from article:
Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said that divers had been sent into the water after video footage showed him entering a wharf within the harbour. The footage shows him jumping between three chokka boats docked alongside each other.

Police and security officials had also searched all three chokka boats this afternoon.

By 1pm‚ the police divers were deployed to search underneath‚ and next to‚ the chokka boats which were berthed at the wharf.

Naidu confirmed that CCTV footage of Bellet-Brissaud had been attained and showed him entering‚ but not leaving‚ a wharf on the harbour.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/so...earch-called-off-for-missing-ironman-entrant/
Click to expand...

bbm Probably a stupid question but why would he do this? Just for fun? Isn't this dangerous? Idk, maybe it's a thing people like to do? I have no idea.

Sounds he most likely slipped and ended up in the water, and then was not able to climb back out?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 190 more.
Total: 3,320 (members: 191, guests: 3,129)

Online statistics

Members online
191
Guests online
3,129
Total visitors
3,320
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,143
Messages
17,964,092
Members
228,700
Latest member
amberdw2021
Back
Top