Disappearance of Danielle Judic

Danielle Judic
Cliffs at Port Coton
Disappeared31 December 1978
Belle-Île-en-Mer
StatusMissing for 46 years, 5 months and 18 days

The disappearance of Danielle Judic is an unsolved legal case in France. On 31 December 1978, the 26-year-old pharmacist from Belle-Île-en-Mer, Danielle Judic, attended a New Year's Eve party, which she left by car at around 10 p.m.[1] The next day, she was nowhere to be found.[2] The police investigation that followed failed to determine the causes of her disappearance,[3] and various hypotheses have been put forward.[4] As of 2025, the case remains unsolved.[5][6]

Events

Danielle Judic was a 25-year-old pharmacist.[7] who has lived since 1976 in Le Palais, the largest town on Belle-Île-en-Mer, an island in Morbihan off the coast of Brittany.[8] On 31 December 1978, she attended a New Year's Eve party at the home of one of the doctors at the island's hospital, where many members of the medical staff were present.[3] Around 10 p.m., a couple saw her leaving the house, visibly angry.[4] She reportedly had an argument with one of her lovers who was present at the party, who threatened her with a knife.[9] She took her car, and witnesses saw her return home[2] (probably to change: her evening dress was found by her cleaning lady on January 3).[10] She then set off again by car on the road to Bangor, and turned off towards Port-Coton, towards the Gouphar cliffs, a place where the road winds near steep cliffs.[4]

In the following three days, a storm hit the island.[4] On 2 January, Danielle Judic was reported missing and the first searches began.[4]

Hypotheses

The first hypothesis considered was that of a car accident as due to driving at night on a dangerous road, Judic could have fallen off the cliffs into the sea. However, no remains of the car or traces of skidding were ever found. The searches carried out by divers yielded no results. Some people mentioned her plan to go on a trip to Mexico or Australia .[2] However, as her name did not appear in the registers of the boats that left the island to reach the continent, this possibility was ruled out.[10]

The Brigade des stupéfiants was in charge of the case at the request of the prosecutor. Danielle Judic may have participated in a drug trafficking operation.[4] Her lover Cornu was suspected of having murdered her. However, Cornu died by suicide in prison six months later while he was incarcerated in connection with drug trafficking.[10]

In 1990, the legal proceedings ended with a dismissal.[10]

In 2010, a skeleton found on a beach suggested that it could be his; but analysis showed that it was an individual who had died a hundred years earlier.[10]

In 2015, a new hypothesis was put forward: the car could have fallen into a sinkhole which was then filled in.[9] That same year, the family asked Member of Parliament (MP) Yves Daniel for access to the investigation file.[11]

In 2024, the investigation was entrusted to the association Assistance and Search for Missing Persons (ARPD).[12]

The disappearance of Danielle Judic was adapted into a novel by Christophe Ferré in October 2023.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Retour sur la disparue de Belle-île-en-mer". www.rtl.fr (in French). 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  2. ^ a b c Bretons, Joseph Le Corre pour (2024-01-27). "ENQUÊTE. La mystérieuse disparition de la pharmacienne de Belle-Île, il y a 45 ans". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  3. ^ a b d'Adhémar, Margaux (2023-08-09). "«Il aurait pu la tuer par jalousie»: sur les traces de la jeune pharmacienne disparue de Belle-Île-en-Mer". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Belle-Ile-en-Mer (56). L'énigme de la pharmacienne". Le Télégramme (in French). 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  5. ^ Bécognée, Melanie (14 June 2021). "Danielle Judic, Stéphanie Ropers, Eric Charue… Ces disparitions inquiétantes ont marqué le Morbihan". Ouest France.
  6. ^ "Cold case à Belle-Île-en-Mer". Soirmag (in French). 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  7. ^ "Littérature : Christophe Ferré donne sa vision sur une disparition non élucidée à Belle-Île". actu.fr (in French). 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  8. ^ Jacques Pradel (2024-06-16). "Cold case à Belle-Île-en-Mer". Soirmag (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  9. ^ a b "Danielle Judic. Une nouvelle hypothèse". Le Télégramme (in French). 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Depuis 45 ans, la disparition de la pharmacienne de Belle-Île reste une énigme". RMC Crime (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  11. ^ Océan, Presse (2015-05-13). "Faits divers. Ils ont disparu sans laisser de traces". Presse Océan (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  12. ^ "Ille-et-Vilaine : bénévole, elle retrouve une personne disparue depuis 12 ans". actu.fr (in French). 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  13. ^ "« La disparue de Belle-île » : Christophe Ferré se penche sur un célèbre cold case". 20 Minutes (in French). 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  14. ^ "Littérature : Christophe Ferré donne sa vision sur une disparition non élucidée à Belle-Île". actu.fr (in French). 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
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