JULIE Michel, 26, vanished without a trace in 2013 after her car and belongings were found at a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees.
After nearly 12 years, the cold case has been cracked open, with cops probing leads that hadn’t been explored before.
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Julie set off on a road trip from her home in Auxerre, Burgundy, on July 1, 2013, but all communications with her loved ones stopped abruptly on July 19.
One paraglider reported seeing her at 1pm the day she went missing, taking her lunch next to her car, but she was never seen again.
Her car was discovered with her belongings in a mountain pass of the French Pyrenees called Port de Lers in Ariege.
But, despite desperate searches and significant efforts from cops and investigators, she has remained untraceable for over a decade.
In the previous investigation, the possibilities of suicide, an accident or sectarian indoctrination were all ruled out by cops.
Now, investigators are looking into homicide, kidnapping and sequestration.
Julie’s mum Betty Lefebvre said that the reopening of her daughters case is hard but clings onto a “glimmer of hope”.
She told French news site ici: “Twelve years later, we expect to discover the worst.
“It’s very difficult, but living with a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads [constant danger and fear] is also difficult.”
Julie’s case was closed by Foix prosecutors in 2018 as they believed they had examined all possible avenues, whether it be volunatry disappearance or a hiking accident.
But, having no confirmation on what actually happened to her daughter, Betty hasn’t given up on finding out the truth.
She said: “There are some who told me to mourn, but for me it was unthinkable that Julie’s file would be put on a shelf and forgotten.
“I want to know what happened.”
Despite there not being “any new elements” to Julie’s case her mum says, she adds that not all avenues have been explored.
Julie went missing near Lake of Lers, which has “never been explored,” according to her mum.
Heartbroken mum Betty said: “There was the Port de Lers sign.
“Hikers often get caught in front of the sign, and Julie’s car was parked right next to this sign when it was found.”
She added that when she left, Julie messaged her mum wishing her good luck for a theatre premiere that she couldn’t attend.
Betty said that despite Julie being 26, “you always worry about your children”.
Testimonies made by Julie’s relatives and volunteer investigators are to be studied, and an association has been made to support her family and friends during the reopening of the case.
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