‘Very likely she was just trapped down there’: Google Maps clue helps solve two-year missing person mystery

Paulette Landrieux vanished without a trace from her quiet Belgian neighborhood. For two years, no search effort could explain what happened to the 83-year-old woman. Then an ordinary look at Google Maps revealed a clue that changed everything.

Landrieux, who lived in Andenne, Belgium, disappeared on November 2, 2020. She had Alzheimer’s and was being cared for by her husband, Marcel, VT reported. On the day she went missing, she had been left watching television for a short time before she quietly wandered away.

Her disappearance became a heartbreaking mystery for the family and the community. A later investigation by true crime creator MrBallen revisited the case and explained how one overlooked detail eventually led investigators to the truth.

It turns out the answer was much closer than anyone imagined

Landrieux needed constant support because of Alzheimer’s, according to MrBallen. He explained that she often forgot to eat or take her medication. He also noted that she would sometimes wander off unexpectedly. Marcel would usually find her and bring her safely home.

After she disappeared, authorities launched an extensive search. The operation included a helicopter, but despite those efforts, Landrieux was never found. Days became weeks and weeks became months. Marcel eventually feared he would never learn what happened to his wife.

Sadly, that feeling of uncertainty is one shared by many families when a loved one disappears. In an entirely separate mystery, an Oregon family who vanished while searching for Christmas greenery remained missing for 68 years before investigators finally uncovered what happened. 

Two years later, an observant neighbor was browsing Google Maps when something unusual caught their attention. The images appeared to show Landrieux walking away from her home while Marcel was in the background hanging laundry outside.

The neighbor immediately contacted investigators. Authorities retraced the route shown in the map image. Across the street from the house was a steep hill that led into thick bramble bushes.

“Very likely she was just trapped down there,” MrBallen said. He explained that she may not have understood what had happened. She likely could not call for help, which left her stranded until she died.

Investigators soon found Landrieux’s body in the shrubbery. The discovery did not come from new forensic evidence or a previously unknown witness. Instead, it came from a sharp-eyed neighbor studying Google Maps, proving that even the smallest overlooked detail can help solve a mystery.

The case highlights how easily vulnerable people with dementia can wander off unsupervised.