Françoise Dasnois avait disparu lors de vacances en Espagne en 2009: elle a été déclarée morte par la justice belge
Françoise Dasnois disappeared during a holiday in Spain in 2009: she was declared dead by the Belgian justice system.
The date is July 12, 2009. Françoise, her partner and their two children are in Colungo, in the province of Huesca in the Spanish Pyrenees. Originally from Fosse-la-ville, the little family sets off on a hike towards the Portal De La Cunarda, an impressive and gigantic natural stone arch situated at the confluence of two gorges.
On this day, the thermometer reads over 30°C. The sky is clear and very sunny. Halfway through, Françoise Dasnois decides to turn back. Tired and probably worn out by the weather, the mother prefers to stop. Her husband and their two children continue their walk. "My sister was lagging behind, she decided to wait for them without knowing how long it would take," Rachel Dasnois reports.
But in the end Françoise never returned. Nearly 11 years later, the mother of the family remains untraceable. What happened on 12 July 2009? How do you explain the fact that Françoise Dasnois never found her way home? Did she get lost? Was she injured? Did she have a bad encounter? Was it a voluntary disappearance? So many questions that her sister Rachel asks herself.
"When her partner and children returned from their walk, Françoise was not at the meeting point. They continued on their way and when they arrived at the gîte, they couldn't find her either," Rachel tells us.
A major police deployment then followed, according to the Guardia Civil of the province of Huesca.
"The Mountain Guardia Civil carried out a large deployment with several mountain teams. They were assisted by a tracking dog and two helicopters. Staff from the Sierra Natural Park and the Guara Gorge also carried out searches, as well as volunteers from the town of Colungo", the Spanish police explained. The itinerary followed by the family was traced by the gendarmerie, as were the nearby ravines. But nothing came of it, the Guardia Civil confirms.
The search lasted "exhaustively" for several weeks. In vain. The Guardia Civil explains that this type of disappearance is not rare in the region. Some people who are lost are found by the rescue teams, but this is not the case for all of them. "Some have not been been found," the police say.
Today, Rachel is still trying to find out what happened to her sister 11 years ago. "I've looked at the file several times. I don't understand what could have happened. If she had collapsed she would have been found. Could we have missed her body because of the vegetation? The investigation has remained at a standstill", she regrets.
What is the state of the investigation today? To find out, we turn to the Namur public prosecutor's office. As Françoise Dasnois comes from Fosses-la-ville, it is this public prosecutor's office that has been in charge of the case.
We are told that in parallel with the investigations carried out by the Spaniards, a major investigation was carried out by the Belgian Federal Judicial Police, under the direction of an examining magistrate from Namur. Investigation duties were also carried out in Spain by means of an international rogatory commission, according to Etienne Gaublomme, press magistrate of the Namur public prosecutor's office.
Unfortunately, these investigations have not led to the return of Françoise Dasnois. There is no indication that this disappearance was a criminal act. On 25 January 2021, the Namur Council Chamber dismissed the investigating judge. In May 2020, the Namur Court of First Instance issued a decision declaring Françoise Dasnois missing. Legally, the Belgian woman is considered to be deceased. A shock for Rachel, who continues to fight for the truth. "I'd like to restart the investigation, get the Belgian police back to Spain," she explains.
On the civil level, if a person has not given any sign of life for more than three months and it is not known whether they are alive or dead, a judge can establish the presumption of absence, as Etienne Gaublomme explains. After a period of absence of several years, the civil court may declare a declaration of absence. The declaration of absence has the same administrative effects as a death. This allows a whole series of cases such as inheritance or remarriage to be unblocked, the magistrate explains. The latter points out that Rachel Dasnois, who had filed a civil claim in connection with her sister's disappearance, had access to the file and was entitled to take part in the proceedings.
"If new lines of enquiry emerge, this investigation can be relaunched," Etienne Gaublomme points out.
The Spanish police assure us that "no case of disappearance disappears from the database". "It remains always active", they tell us.
BBM
This report is
recent, it dates from February 5, 2021.
