A seemingly ordinary day took a devastating turn for Marcel Tarret of Andenne, Belgium, when his 83-year-old wife, Paulette Landrieux, vanished. Paulette, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, had a history of wandering. However, this time, her disappearance was unlike any other. While Marcel hung laundry in their garden, Paulette disappeared from their home, leaving him distraught and launching a desperate search. The police, alerted immediately, conducted extensive investigations, including aerial searches, but to no avail.
Two years passed, leaving Marcel heartbroken and resigned to the possibility that he would never know what became of his wife. Then, a stroke of unexpected luck intervened. A neighbour, casually using Google Street View, spotted Paulette in a photograph, captured two years prior, walking away from their house and disappearing down a footpath into some nearby bushes.
This seemingly insignificant image reignited the search. Following the path identified in the Google Street View image, police discovered a ditch concealed by dense vegetation. There, they made the tragic discovery of Paulette’s remains. It’s believed she became disoriented, lost her way, and perished in the overgrown ditch. The discovery, while providing closure, served as a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s and the unpredictable nature of the disease. The two-year mystery of Paulette Landrieux’s disappearance ultimately concluded with a profoundly sad and unexpected revelation.