Mystery of woman who went missing solved years later thanks to Google Maps discovery

The mystery of a woman who vanished without a trace has been solved thanks to a Google Maps image.

The Street View feature on Google Maps has captured some pretty bizarre sights and even helped solve murder mysteries and expose cheating partners.

An image captured by a Google Street View car has now helped solve the mystery of a woman with Alzheimer’s who disappeared.

Belgian woman Paulette Landrieux went missing on 2 November 2020 after last being seen by her husband and carer at their home in Andenne.

A search party was launched to find her, including police helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Her family members believed she may have fallen into the Meuse River close to their home.

Sadly, Landrieux’s body was recovered two years later just metres from her house. But, it was only thanks to the bizarre coincidence of a Google Street View car passing at the exact time she went missing that she was found at all.

Google Maps

It was the first time the Google car had visited her street, Rue Reppe, in 11 years. The images captured by the 360-degree camera unwittingly captured Landrieux walking down a set of steps towards her neighbour’s garden while her husband was busy hanging washing, The Mirror reports.

The images were found when an amateur sleuth had been attempting to retrace her possible steps. In them, the 83-year-old woman could be seen crossing the road dressed in a white jumper and black trousers. She walked towards a neighbour’s garden.

Upon discovery of the images, police resumed their search and tragically found the remains of Landrieux at the bottom of a hill right below the garden of the property opposite her home. Authorities concluded that she must have fallen and tragically died.

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