Friday sees various developments in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Maëlys de Aguiar, the nine-year-old girl with Portuguese roots who went missing from a wedding reception in the French Alps nearly two weeks ago.
Most importantly, the suspect in police custody is looking increasingly like he has been lying about how traces of Maëlys’ DNA got into his car, reports Le Figaro.
Nordahl Lelandais told police Maëlys got into his car with another little boy, to pet the dogs he had in the back.
But the “little boy” appears not to exist.
Inquiries among the wedding guests have failed to identify him, and as news sources explain, French gendarmes (police) are “convinced” Lelandais is simply weaving a story.
Another inconsistency is that even if Maëlys did get in the care to pet the suspects dogs, her DNA was not found on the side of the vehicle Lelandais claims she entered by, but on the driver’s side “on a button to the left of the steering wheel”.
Combined with the missing wine-splattered shorts which Lelandais used for his excuse for leaving the reception, the mobile phone said to have been turned off at precisely the time Maëlys went missing, and the car scrubbed with strong cleaning fluid, evidence is mounting, Le Figaro continues.
Meantime, the Portuguese medium who claims Maëlys’ father called him to France to try and help with the hunt for the missing girl, has come up against certain logistical problems.
Known in Portugal as the Bruxo de Fafe, Fernando Nogueira was unable to enter the child’s home.
He told tabloid Correio da Manhã that despite the fact that they enlisted his help, the parents would not let him through the door.
Such a visit, he said, was essential if he is to get a picture of what happened to their daughter.
Nonetheless, Nogueira is reported to have visited the home of the suspect, after which he told journalists: “I believe the girl was here and alive”.
