It was a simple family trip to the island of Madeira, to recharge their batteries a little, but the dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Laurent, 57, and Véronique Blond, 56, from Beaumont-de-Lomagne, in Tarn-et-Garonne, had been missing since March 16, 2024. They had not given any sign of life since their departure on the hike. The French couple, who were spending their vacation on the Portuguese island with one of their daughters, had in fact gone for a walk together, to discover the surroundings of Sao Vicente, the town where they were. Without news of them after several hours, not seeing them return and very worried, Johanna, their youngest daughter, had decided to raise the alarm regarding their disappearance.
Véronique’s body found in a steep and difficult to access place
After several weeks of fruitless searches, an investigation into a worrying disappearance was even opened on Wednesday March 27, 2024. A way to understand the reasons for this disappearance, and to close the different hypotheses that had been raised until then. Thursday April 4, 2024, after the discovery of a lifeless body by a hiker who was taking the Fajã da Areia trail in the evening (a path that runs along the sea), then after the analysis of the clues present in the area Friday April 5 , the information that those close to the couple feared has fallen: it is indeed the body of Véronique Blond. This is, according to the media DN Noticiasthe clothes worn by the mother which left the rescuers in no doubt. “The condition of the body did not allow us to identify the person, but the clothing, shoes, and probable date of death mean that we are 95%, even 99% sure that it is of the missing French tourist” for his part explained Luis Simoes, regional commander of the Portuguese police in Funchal, to our colleagues of Parisian Friday April 5, 2024.
Although we do not yet know much more about the cause of death, we do know that the body of Véronique Blond was discovered in a very steep area of the mountain, and difficult to access, located in the north of the island of Madeira. “We believe that the husband’s remains may be nearby and that they, for one reason or another, had a fall.” Luis Simoes said again. Laurent Blond is still missing, and many police officers accompanied by dogs rub shoulders with firefighters and rescuers in the mountain to try to find him. “We think that the husband’s remains may be nearby and that they, for one reason or another, fell,” added the police officer.