The investigators mobilized into the disappearance of Morgane Rivoal have accomplished a colossal job. Since the disappearance of the 13-year-old teenager on November 25 in Pabu (Côtes-d’Armor), the gendarmes have conducted 110 hearings in an attempt to find the trace of the young girl. In vain. But over the course of interviews with Morgane’s family and friends, investigators seemed to put their finger on the central point of the teenager’s disappearance: the use of social networks.
Like many young people her age, the teenager used it regularly. Too intense in the eyes of his parents, but also of certain classmates, who spoke of a certain isolation and an addiction to his phone. But for a week, no connection has been recorded with Morgane’s accounts. The teenager no longer had a phone or a SIM card, her father having broken the device and confiscated the card the day before her disappearance. In the basket in his room, the gendarmes discovered a crumpled sheet of paper on which it was written: “Dad, mom, sorry, I’m leaving.”
Fears of harassment raised
Missing since November 25, the young girl is described by her parents as “happy, joyful, smiling” but also “resourceful” and who “works well at school”. They recognized that there were sometimes quarrels within the family, which systematically found their origin in Morgane’s exaggerated use of social networks.
Passionate about tennis, the teenager had visibly different behavior at school. Several classmates shared their fears of discomfort, citing a “telephone addiction” generating a certain isolation, said Saint-Brieuc public prosecutor Nicolas Heitz. A tennis coach shared the same observation. Students from the Albert-Camus college in Graces, near Guingamp, even spoke of their fears of a harassment situation, confirmed by a college worker. “Morgane was able to make worrying comments, with certain comrades mentioning scarifications that she would have inflicted on herself,” reveals the prosecutor.
A man in police custody in Drôme
The police’s investigations suggest that the teenager was not doing so well and found refuge in the use of social networks. Before her disappearance, she had posted a story (since deleted) announcing that she would not go to college on Monday. But to go where? To find out, the gendarmes looked into the relationships established by the teenager with “older individuals met on social networks”. No hearing made it possible to move forward on the location of the teenager.
Only a 21-year-old man was taken into custody. Living in Drôme, he is suspected of having created a Snapchat account for Morgane. On his phone, “several images of a child pornography nature” were found but “not concerning Morgane” said the prosecutor. The teenager also reportedly met a 29-year-old man living in Eure. Morgane’s two phones, the broken one and her old one, are being assessed. “At this stage, all avenues are being considered. None are privileged,” recalled Nicolas Heitz.
The call for witnesses still open
Aged 13, Morgane measures 1.54 m. She is of normal build, has long wavy brown hair and blue/green eyes. She would be carrying a pink Eastpak bag. Anyone likely to help investigators is invited to contact the gendarmerie by dialing 17. An email address has been created: morgue@gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr.
