With the car never found, they are most likely in water somewhere. Judging direction is very hard in the fog. You lose your ability to navigate. Even regularly traveled roads become confusing.
@@funkyratboy i really wonder how the area has changed though. How old is the dam? Hell, I went through eight years of Google Streetview to try and find a tree from a memory I was recalling, and the road had been redone, extended, a roundabout added, bushes, trees, whole houses were demolished, replaced. Once, during construction on a main thoroughfare, the detour was a windy backroad, and I watched the car in front of me go straight at a io degree turninto an overgrown copse of honeysuckle and pokeweed and just disappear., no brakes applied After I found a place to park and walked back, I almost couldn't find it, as the grass was already beginning to stand back up and hide the tire tracks; if you weren't already looking for it, you wouldn't notice a thing. Now in this case the driver was having a seizure, and their car came to rest in a ditch with moderate damage., but that could have easily been a whole family going into a body of water. Especially if they had some strong wine at the party. Hell, there's been cars that've been missing for decades found through Google Satellite. Especially if the car went into the ocean, it would break down fast. A crime of opportunity in winter weather and against a whole family is unlikely, but so is a whole family disappearing. Maybe the perp(s) ditched it into another body of water. Especially in another country, in a quarry, or on private land, where they might not've even bothered with police. I don't think international jurisdictions were even sharing info much back then. Or they stole the car and it eventually got scrapped.
A whole family and their vehicle go missing on a night of thick fog. They definitely ended up in a body of water. It’s horrific to imagine those two little children being in that situation. So sad.
@@Krisinger …He/she can express sorrow however they wish. Everyone gets to post how they feel freely. Everyone is going to feel bad for all 4, but when children are involved it is especially sad. They didn’t have a chance to experience life so much as the parents.
The family ones are always the most baffling to me when 1 person disappears you can often find an explanation but an entire family disappearing without any warning is a little harder to explain like this case here
I think they ended up in a deep body of water. If watching some of the environmental cleanup of cars/searches for vehicles in water (on YT, of course) from rivers has taught me anything, it's that these vehicles can remain hidden, often in places people assumed the car couldn't make it to. Plus, search and rescue may only have the opportunity to use their sonar technology (even these days) every so often, so when they do use it, there's a relearning curve, and the risk of missing something entirely. Look how many times professional divers have missed things, and the civilian dive teams come in and find it.
So great to see this strange case covered in English - thank you! Their Livret de famille (“Family Booklet”, an important legal registration document in France) being left behind at the house is another sign of their disappearance being unplanned (forgive me if I missed its mention).
@@hippiechic65 yes, it’s a document that primarily serves to prove parental affiliation that’s required for basic social benefits/legal rights/issuance of other legal docs, but can also serve as very credible ID because it’s only issued upon provision of multiple other proofs of one’s legitimacy (original birth and/or marriage certificates, etc.) so it’s a PITA to replace. It was/is fairly widespread across Europe despite varying, and providing it from one country greatly simplifies obtaining one from another. If you have even just 60 secs’ notice, you don’t leave that behind.
My family and I went up north to Michigan--about 9 hours--to visit my Grandmother after a deep snow. While we were there a sudden thaw occurred. On the way back we ran into heavy fog, and spent what felt like a week driving in absolute white-out fog. My husband--a police officer--was afraid to pull over and stop for fear someone trying to follow our taillights would hit us. This is the best part of 40 years ago, and really heavy fog still terrifies me.
Agreed - Even as a lifelong habitual blizzard driver whose vehicle is fully equipped for it, whiteouts are terrifying. As you said, stopping can be riskier than keeping on; you’re a sitting duck for someone to hit you, you can’t tell where the road/shoulder/ditch/fields are to start with, you might not be able to get going again and freeze to death while no one can see/find you even if they’re trying (which you worry will get them killed anyway)…and it can catch you completely by surprise, realizing you can no longer see anything well after it’s started being the case.
In the California central valley, the get what the call "tule fog" it is so thick that you can put your hand in front of your face and not see it. My dad, who gre up in the valley, said he learned to drive in tule fog by rolling down the window to listen for other cars and drive with the drivers side door cracked to follow the yellow stripes/bumps in the road. It terrifies me to drive in fog. Very disorienting.
Very sad episode, but well told. My theory is that the family did go into the water, but not in the area the authorities searched. It is most likely that the father left their friends' home but drove the opposite from where the Mechinauds lived. The father (who I believe did have a few glasses of wine-why would he not?) got confused by the fog and went into the water.
@@thesehandsart Re-watch the video. The presents that were at the family home were the ones the parents and kids had shopped for together the day before.
I'm with you on that and think the total "disappearance" of the car along with the family adds weight to that argument. In some hidden nook, gorge or waterway lies the human and steel remains of this sad mystery?
Idk if you have an underwater search and rescue team over where this tragedy took place, but here in the US we have Adventures with Purpose, they use sonar technology, and have found 26 missing people submerged in their vehicles, as of the time I'm writing this. I feel that Sonar scanning would be the answer they are looking for. Love your video's ❤️
It's a pity the good work a lot of people did with AwP has been tarnished by the alleged sordid crimes of the founder of AwP Jared Leisek. Luckily there are plenty of other folk who genuinely give of their time and money to help the families of the poor souls who have gone missing in the water ways. It seems the most obvious answer to this story, and the fact that the police haven't found them in the rivers doesn't mean they're not there, specific sonar systems look to find things not seen by regular systems?
@M Janny yes he did, but the other guys on the team that have come out with their own video's, of how they did not know about this, and how much they despise him for what he has done. Also how they will keep working to help people find their loved ones.
Neighborhood rumormills can be brutal and creative. Decades ago, my better half's sister was in the midst of a divorce. She traveled for her job so she spent a lot of time in our home at that time; as family she had a key and free use of our home. At the same time my better half had taken a different position with her job, changing her hours. I had had a flexible schedule with my employer for years and worked from home fairly frequently as duties dictated. Long story short, one of my neighbors drew me aside for a serious talk. All my neighbors, folks I had known for a decade plus, had assembled a ramshackle narrative that I was cheating on my wife for about six months with that young, auburn haired floozy. I WAS GOBSMACKED! I showed up at a barbecue gathering with my wife and her sister, all of us obviously on good terms and STILL the rumormill worked its dark magic, most pitying my wife for being "so blind!" We explained what was actually going on, something we found to be very intrusive. Even then I'm sure that a few were so invested in the story that had been made up that they still believed that some trick was being played. We wouldn't really care, we don't live for the approval of others, but if something ever does happen I shudder to think what might be said, what might impede an investigation, simply created out of boredom and daytime TV.
Some people literally have nothing else to do..time on their hands and any scenario can be manipulated by wagging tongues, to look like something else.
As a French person I really like it when you cover cases from France. Having lived in the UK for many decades I don’t always know of the more obscure tragedies unlike the Dupont de Ligonnès one which is one of the more well known ones. Of course it doesn’t deter from the horrifying nature of such crimes wherever they happen and it’s heartbreaking that sometimes one family member will execute the others for a financial gain or for whatever other reason. Thank you
The heavy fog seems to be the key. I'm thinking they went into the water at some point, just not one of the points which were searched. They are probably still nearby, but time and nature have sadly probably erased most of the evidence.
There are RUclips divers who have found remains of bodies and cars. I think they are just dedicated and determined and have more attention to detail because I think they got results when police hired divers didn’t
Since there have been so many cases here in the USA where long missing persons and their vehicles have been found in bodies of water, this is what makes the most sense to me as a possibility. The foggy conditions, the late hour, the complete disappearance of everyone and the vehicle, plus the holiday food and the gifts under the tree suggest this to me even more.
Interesting. Thanks. Also I've just realised you never go on about like, subscribe, join the club, buy my merch etc. It's refreshing and it didn't stop me from subbing when I did.
To say they did go not in the river sounds to me wrong, they might not have hit the structure of the bridge, but if they ploughed through the snow tracks might be hard to find if you start looking 2 weeks later in the middle of the snowing winter. Also 50 years on there could have been a lot of floods and a lot of debris pilied on the car. The car was not that big and could have rusted away a lot that is why it is may be difficult to find. It has been a lot of time...
It’s only been within the last few years that really methodical searches of lakes and rivers has been done in a number of locations in the USA to look for submerged vehicles, and a number of missing people have been found underwater through these. We now are accustomed to this happening here, which makes me sure that’s what happened to this family.
I love the format of your videos - how you get right into the cases without a bunch of talking at the beginning and end. No doubt some people enjoy that, but I don't, which is why I never hesitate to click on your videos. I know what to expect and can easily follow them. What a great channel. 🤍 It seems very unlikely for foul play to have been involved, especially considering they were celebrating that night and were all prepared for the Christmas Day festivities. The thick fog combined with the fact that they weren't familiar with the area, makes it possible that he could have taken a wrong turn. Obviously, I have no idea what happened, but in cases like this, it's usually a car accident. Such a sad situation. My heart goes out to this little family and their loved ones who are left wondering. 💔
It seems in most of these cases where people disappear whilst driving is that the vehicle has somehow plummeted into a body of water. On a few cases I've read about people have been located in times of drought when the body of water dries up
I imagine they searched above the dam just off the D48. That’s where I would’ve looked just based on a quick glance at the map. Looks easy to take that off ramp in the fog accidentally and go right into the deeper water above the dam. Probably that’s been searched numerous times but late at night in the fog… looks like an easy driving mistake to make.
@@CHET1 I really enjoy this channel, and am happy when they post. Consider me simple, or "thirsty" but I see nothing wrong with letting a creator I enjoy know that I'm glad they posted. If you have an issue with it, well, that sounds like a YOU problem! Happy New Year, indeed.
Everything points to car veering into a body of water: the fog, alcohol at the party, late night driving, a whole family and their car missing with no traces of the vehicle. What else could it be?!? Stuns me to think they searched the waters and found nothing, probably ineptitude??
If there was a current in the river, it could have been swept further than searchers realized, so they perhaps didn't search far enough. Or if the fog disoriented the driver, he could have driven the wrong direction and the car could have gone into the river somewhere other than where they searched.
Still think no big mystery here - they ended up in a body of water. What tire tracks did LE try to locate if they started the search only after 2 weeks??? Take a look at any of AWP videos- it takes an enormous effort to spot a vehicle in a body of water esp. after so many years
I think that due to the fog that night,they somehow got on the wrong road unknowingly and then went off of it and into the water at a different location than any that have ever been searched.
Just look at where they lived- the whole village looks like it was carved into the side of a cliff. It was foggy that night; they drove off some cliff into water, just hvnt bn found yet.
What a complete mystery,can’t imagine how an entire family could just disappear? Water would be the only obvious place they could have been? No sign of them for nearly 50 years, they must have died, very tragic!!
If they actually drowned, it’s so scary and unsettling to think that somewhere, in some body of water, a car with 4 people in it has been sitting undisturbed for more than 50 years.
After watching far too many videos like this, it is unsettling to think that there are probably many cars in bodies of water with people in them all over the world. Bodies of missing people in general in random places all over the world. Creeps me out.
Happy New Year Everyone and Thank You Dark Curiosities for All Your Excellent Videos and the Hard Work you do! Most likely the Mechinaud lies somewhere on the bottom of a river-ocean. We had a case here in Norway, where an okd man and his fine car just went missing. The police scoured the lakes along the road without any result. Then 50 years later an investigator looked at the case again, and they finally found the man and his car in one of the lakes they searched. He had sunked into the river mud, concealing the car.
With the car having never been found, I think it must've ended up in the water with the family either drowning or if they escaped, freezing to death. But that still leaves the question of where their bodies are. A very strange xase, well presented as always.
I wonder if there are bodies of water they could have accidentally or intentionally driven into? It is very hard to hide a car, but people drive into water - especially at night in bad weather. Perhaps they are out there in a pond or lake.
While it does indeed sound like an unfortunate case of a submerged vehicle, if I understand correctly, it's only by the account of the friends they visited that they actually left their home that evening at all. I don't like to cast aspersions on the last people to see them - particularly their own friends, however, with such an intensive air, ground and water search, it seems rather peculiar that no evidence of a car leaving the road was ever found - which one would think would be noticeable in winter conditions and in particular to a trained eye. That said, I'm sure the family's friends have been cleared - it just stuck out as an oddity. Conversely, maybe once driving the family decided the fog wasn't too bad and continued their travels elsewhere, as in beyond the trek back to their home (possibly to briefly stop in on another friend) and thus, the search did not encompass a large enough area so as to include further areas where a submerged vehicle could be if the assumption that they would strictly return home meant the search focused mainly between their home and their friends'. Should they have taken a wrong turn if the thick fog was a major contributing factor, trying to make a 3 point turn on narrow rural roads can also be rather dangerous in the wintertime as the shoulder can be soft and appear wide or level when it isn't. Upon backing on such a shoulder in an attempt to turn around, their vehicle could have easily slid backwards/downwards into a body of water, heavily forested area, marshland, etc., - all of which could make it difficult to see from the air and the road. Just some thoughts. Hope the family is found and put to rest. So sad for their loved ones and the community.
Fog is one of the most dangerously underrated hazards of driving, especially when you get it in patches. One minute you're in the clear, then then next second you're driving through milk. It can come upon you really fast and unexpected, and that's most likely what happened. They lost their way and crashed into either a river or a ravine.
I can understand if the person has a history of not wanting to be found, but when it's completely out of character and/or involves children... Do your job!
Stories like this are baffling. Can you imagine the questioning their friends were subjected to after being the last people to have seen the family alive. I really hope what happened to the poor family, will be uncovered someday. Like many other people commenting, I can only think that their car veered into a lake or river on that fateful night.
I understand what the former mayor is saying about there more than likely being tire tracks had the family gone into the water, however, the search didn't begin until almost two weeks after this would have happened. That is more than enough time for tracks to have been covered by snow or other tire tracks or washed away by rain/rising water levels.
I'm surprised no one is saying he was a Soviet spy. The problem with that is that he and his wife both had family in the area, and he seems not to have had access to any information the Soviets would have found particularly interesting, but it was the 1970's, and the KGB *could* have arranged an extraction.
It happened recently in the US, two teenage girls went missing in 1969 and their car was found in a body of water. I believe it was spotted on Google maps?
I still think they're in the water. There wouldn't be skid marks from slowly drinving into water in the fog. I saw a similar case where they found an entire car with the person that had been missing for decades at the bottom of a lake they'd already searched many times.
They always say that an "accident" like falling into a lake or something is less probable... when in reality, it's more common that we think. And from all the theories, I believe that's the most likely to be true.
They don't hav3 to be in the water. Many cases of missing people in cars have been found much later, not visible from above. They usually appear to have veered off the road and crashed into a tree, in just the right angle, that makes it impossible for anyone to see the car from the road or aerial viewing. A hiker, who off the designated path, usually encounters this kind of accident. The fact that they waited two weeks before looking for the family, doesn't help. They didn't have to go through a guardrail to have an accident, and if there were tire tracks left behind, they'd blown away or washed away, by the time they decided to actually look for the family. The canapy could conceal a small car made even smaller, if it suddenly impacted an established tree. Imo
1972- France - Mechinaud family moved to a small village in France and husband Jacques was a hard worker. The family disappeared on Christmas Eve after leaving by car to attend a party. A missing persons report was filed with the police when the family did not show up a days. The family was missing and after 46 years after the family had disappeared another investigation was started. But the family was never found or located.
The word 'rue' means 'street' in French. The family thus obviously didn't live on a street called 'Rue Street', they lived at 14 route de Saint-Trojean.
Just one thing you mis-identify the street of the house - It's on Route de Saint Trojan (Not Rue Street - although abbreviated to "Rte de St. Trojan" it's easy to mistake "Rte" for 'Rue' and the abbreviated "St." for 'Street' not 'Saint'). Also from experience, I know the Gendarmerie can be a little glacial in getting involved and on a local scale there can often be issues with inter municipality communication. In France there are three levels of police, (The municipal police, the police nationale and the Gendamerie) - while I found it easier to deal with the municipal police - I found them extremely helpful, but they're responsible for their local area only and aren't really geared for largescale work (their work is usually dealing with local drunks, directing traffic and the minutiae of local policing. The gendarmes on the other hand have a large pool of resources, however, they're frequently hogtied by procedural red tape - France has very restrictive privacy laws and even today you need a warrant from a procurator (equivalent of a US D.A.)to do a triangulation search for a 'phone. Recent searches have utilized sonar, dragging and divers, but I believe the river is fast flowing and any car in the water could be carried a substantial distance in two weeks (although there are a couple of weirs on the river).
Statistically the most likely scenario would be an accident (in an area that wasnt searched). Then murder-suicide by the hands of the father (there is a lot of woodland and they may drove murch further than the investigators thought). That they started a new life somewhere or got killed by a stranger (or even someone they knew) would be least likely in my book.. Unfortunately it is pretty safe to say that the family died a long time ago.
That is absolutely crazy! The whole family missing?No one, especially in a vehicle goes unknown for this long! There is sonar, divers who can get vehicles up! Or were the bodies of water too shallow to hide a vehicle? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Everyone just automatically taking the word of the couple who’s house they went to Christmas Eve. How do we know there wasn’t an altercation…an inappropriate act… Something/anything could’ve happened & maybe they never left that house Christmas Eve. 🤷♀️ Cadaver dogs or even ground penetrating radar (in case the car was buried w them in it) should be used around that property.
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they ended up in water. Winter = terrible currants, police didn’t even bother to search for them until 2?ish weeks later, that’s more than enough time for a car with 4 bodies to drift.
When cars are never found it seems likely they are in a body of water or at the bottom of a steep incline (cliff, ravine, etc). Hope one day some answers are found.
Car going over the side of the cliffs into water or over side of the mountain is most likely. There seems to be no sign the car was found. In poor weather and darkness, they would have to drive all night to cross the country. The conditions were poor even for a short drive as the friends had mentioned. I wonder why the inheritance only became an issue 40 years later. Perhaps the parents of Jacques passed away then the siblings jointly owned the land for a while before deciding to sell it. No disrespect meant to the victims but human bodies could easily be lost over the years of freezes and thaws, animal predation and so on. While the car should not be subject to that, I don't think the whole town is looking for this family constantly for 40 years. So old car parts could be found and not recognized. I agree with the minister who discounts more of the gossip and affairs rumors. Seems like people were as bad then as today at filling in the blanks with imagination.
I’ve noticed from unresolved disappearance cases that this can quote easily be a logistical nightmare for those left behind beyond legacy logistics. Sure, insurers are happy to withhold payments a death is not proven but whose real effects on families find them needing it, but suspended activity (like unpaid property taxes) can find people out of house/home/shared property, repossessions, frozen/unobtainable shares assets, screwed up credit ratings, anything that wreaks havoc on even those continuing on with nothing to gain from the death - that’s partly why declaration of legal death exists in the first place.
It has to be water, other than that I’m not sure what else. I know they said they didn’t find tire tracks but I’m assuming it’s because it took a long time for an investigation to get started.
There in the water in between friends house and there house there equipment isn't as good as we have here they need to check the water with a high tech sonar system there in there
Thank you for another great video. I hate to say it but I believe that the family was taken far away and met with foul play. The dad probably went on living in secret if he did not take his own life. Tragic story but there are no other possibilities that I can think of. Happy New Year everyone and God bless.
The family likely perished that night in the fog, driving into the water being most probable, it was total, inept investigation and delays in the searching, valuable time was lost.
Maybe they are at the bottom of a river a long way from where they lived? How many times have we scene missing people found many years later in cars submerged in water. If they are in a river a long way from home that would point to it being deliberate.
Though I adore France, there missing persons reporting criteria is abysmal, especially when children are involved. Furthermore, it was apparent that when they went to the house they should have acted upon the family missing as it was obvious that they never returned home on Christmas Eve. And Pierreete had TWO small children at home with the outdated technologies at that time, how could she possibly have an affair?? Two small children, a house and husband to care for?? Small towns are lovely but live for gossip!
The law has changed alot since the 70's. Police now will investigate even an adult reported missing if the disappearance is "out of character". But if the person willingly disappeared and refuses to have contact with the relatives whom reported them missing, the Police still won't disclose their whereabouts, only telling that the person has been contacted and is alive.
With the car never found, they are most likely in water somewhere. Judging direction is very hard in the fog. You lose your ability to navigate. Even regularly traveled roads become confusing.
Look at D48. There is an off ramp that goes straight into the river just above a dam.
@@funkyratboy i really wonder how the area has changed though. How old is the dam? Hell, I went through eight years of Google Streetview to try and find a tree from a memory I was recalling, and the road had been redone, extended, a roundabout added, bushes, trees, whole houses were demolished, replaced.
Once, during construction on a main thoroughfare, the detour was a windy backroad, and I watched the car in front of me go straight at a io degree turninto an overgrown copse of honeysuckle and pokeweed and just disappear., no brakes applied After I found a place to park and walked back, I almost couldn't find it, as the grass was already beginning to stand back up and hide the tire tracks; if you weren't already looking for it, you wouldn't notice a thing.
Now in this case the driver was having a seizure, and their car came to rest in a ditch with moderate damage., but that could have easily been a whole family going into a body of water. Especially if they had some strong wine at the party. Hell, there's been cars that've been missing for decades found through Google Satellite. Especially if the car went into the ocean, it would break down fast.
A crime of opportunity in winter weather and against a whole family is unlikely, but so is a whole family disappearing. Maybe the perp(s) ditched it into another body of water. Especially in another country, in a quarry, or on private land, where they might not've even bothered with police. I don't think international jurisdictions were even sharing info much back then. Or they stole the car and it eventually got scrapped.
I agree 100%. Whatever remains of them and the car is in the water.
It also screams of an accidental car wreck into a body of water to me.
They need to check above the dam off the D48
A whole family and their vehicle go missing on a night of thick fog. They definitely ended up in a body of water. It’s horrific to imagine those two little children being in that situation. So sad.
Because who cares about 2 adults, right? If you're going to feel sorry for a family, at least express it towards everyone involved.
@@Krisinger why are people in RUclips comments so nasty and mean spirited for seemingly no reason?
@@Krisinger 🥸🥸🥸
@stee because their lives are miserable and they want to pass it to others, sadly
@@Krisinger …He/she can express sorrow however they wish. Everyone gets to post how they feel freely. Everyone is going to feel bad for all 4, but when children are involved it is especially sad. They didn’t have a chance to experience life so much as the parents.
The family ones are always the most baffling to me when 1 person disappears you can often find an explanation but an entire family disappearing without any warning is a little harder to explain like this case here
alien abduction
I think they ended up in a deep body of water. If watching some of the environmental cleanup of cars/searches for vehicles in water (on YT, of course) from rivers has taught me anything, it's that these vehicles can remain hidden, often in places people assumed the car couldn't make it to. Plus, search and rescue may only have the opportunity to use their sonar technology (even these days) every so often, so when they do use it, there's a relearning curve, and the risk of missing something entirely. Look how many times professional divers have missed things, and the civilian dive teams come in and find it.
@@sew_gal7340my exact thoughts and they are serious thoughts,
Ikr?
@A Girl Has No Name Agreed, that does seem like the most obvious explanation for many entire families disappearing.
So great to see this strange case covered in English - thank you! Their Livret de famille (“Family Booklet”, an important legal registration document in France) being left behind at the house is another sign of their disappearance being unplanned (forgive me if I missed its mention).
What does the family booklet keep important registration for? Is it normally something a family would take with them while traveling?
@@hippiechic65 yes, it’s a document that primarily serves to prove parental affiliation that’s required for basic social benefits/legal rights/issuance of other legal docs, but can also serve as very credible ID because it’s only issued upon provision of multiple other proofs of one’s legitimacy (original birth and/or marriage certificates, etc.) so it’s a PITA to replace. It was/is fairly widespread across Europe despite varying, and providing it from one country greatly simplifies obtaining one from another. If you have even just 60 secs’ notice, you don’t leave that behind.
My family and I went up north to Michigan--about 9 hours--to visit my Grandmother after a deep snow. While we were there a sudden thaw occurred. On the way back we ran into heavy fog, and spent what felt like a week driving in absolute white-out fog. My husband--a police officer--was afraid to pull over and stop for fear someone trying to follow our taillights would hit us. This is the best part of 40 years ago, and really heavy fog still terrifies me.
Agreed - Even as a lifelong habitual blizzard driver whose vehicle is fully equipped for it, whiteouts are terrifying. As you said, stopping can be riskier than keeping on; you’re a sitting duck for someone to hit you, you can’t tell where the road/shoulder/ditch/fields are to start with, you might not be able to get going again and freeze to death while no one can see/find you even if they’re trying (which you worry will get them killed anyway)…and it can catch you completely by surprise, realizing you can no longer see anything well after it’s started being the case.
@@privatelyprivate3285 Except for the freezing, you are absolutely right!
In the California central valley, the get what the call "tule fog" it is so thick that you can put your hand in front of your face and not see it. My dad, who gre up in the valley, said he learned to drive in tule fog by rolling down the window to listen for other cars and drive with the drivers side door cracked to follow the yellow stripes/bumps in the road. It terrifies me to drive in fog. Very disorienting.
@@elizabethreed5178 Oh, my goodness!
@@elizabethreed5178 oh wow - that sounds like a nightmare (but good survival tips!)
Very sad episode, but well told. My theory is that the family did go into the water, but not in the area the authorities searched. It is most likely that the father left their friends' home but drove the opposite from where the Mechinauds lived. The father (who I believe did have a few glasses of wine-why would he not?) got confused by the fog and went into the water.
You’re an idiot lol
But the kids gifts from their friends celebration were at the house 🤔
@@JesusLopez-cg2gq Takes one to know one. FYI: I am entitled to my opinion - don't like it move on.
@@thesehandsart Re-watch the video. The presents that were at the family home were the ones the parents and kids had shopped for together the day before.
I'm with you on that and think the total "disappearance" of the car along with the family adds weight to that argument. In some hidden nook, gorge or waterway lies the human and steel remains of this sad mystery?
Idk if you have an underwater search and rescue team over where this tragedy took place, but here in the US we have Adventures with Purpose, they use sonar technology, and have found 26 missing people submerged in their vehicles, as of the time I'm writing this. I feel that Sonar scanning would be the answer they are looking for. Love your video's ❤️
I've seen a couple of cases with their involvement, they are incredible. Happy 2023 to you from UK.
It's a pity the good work a lot of people did with AwP has been tarnished by the alleged sordid crimes of the founder of AwP Jared Leisek.
Luckily there are plenty of other folk who genuinely give of their time and money to help the families of the poor souls who have gone missing in the water ways.
It seems the most obvious answer to this story, and the fact that the police haven't found them in the rivers doesn't mean they're not there, specific sonar systems look to find things not seen by regular systems?
@luciuscornelius7177
I've followed this saga as well! Never liked J and stopped watching when ...shoot...the cute blonde Norwegian guy left.🙄
Didn't the guy who started that get busted for child exploitation material?
@M Janny yes he did, but the other guys on the team that have come out with their own video's, of how they did not know about this, and how much they despise him for what he has done. Also how they will keep working to help people find their loved ones.
Neighborhood rumormills can be brutal and creative.
Decades ago, my better half's sister was in the midst of a divorce. She traveled for her job so she spent a lot of time in our home at that time; as family she had a key and free use of our home.
At the same time my better half had taken a different position with her job, changing her hours. I had had a flexible schedule with my employer for years and worked from home fairly frequently as duties dictated.
Long story short, one of my neighbors drew me aside for a serious talk. All my neighbors, folks I had known for a decade plus, had assembled a ramshackle narrative that I was cheating on my wife for about six months with that young, auburn haired floozy. I WAS GOBSMACKED!
I showed up at a barbecue gathering with my wife and her sister, all of us obviously on good terms and STILL the rumormill worked its dark magic, most pitying my wife for being "so blind!"
We explained what was actually going on, something we found to be very intrusive. Even then I'm sure that a few were so invested in the story that had been made up that they still believed that some trick was being played.
We wouldn't really care, we don't live for the approval of others, but if something ever does happen I shudder to think what might be said, what might impede an investigation, simply created out of boredom and daytime TV.
Don't fantasize about your wife's sister lol.
Some people literally have nothing else to do..time on their hands and any scenario can be manipulated by wagging tongues, to look like something else.
A good reminder that we don't know what happens behind closed doors and we're really bad at guessing.
Yeah. I live in a small town too. If I'm unsure what to make for dinner, I just ask the neighbors what the rumor says I'm having. :D
This post has nothing to do with the missing family. It's about them not you.
Happy New Year Everyone and Thank You Dark Curiosities for All Your Excellent Videos and the Hard Work You Put Into Them!! ❤️
Happy New Year 🎆
Well said!!!!❤
Happy New year to you too my dear. May this year be filled with joy, happiness and blessings for you 🙂
I do really love the DC videos. Thanks!
Happy new year lovely.
Happy New Year everyone! Great to start the new year off with a dark curiosities video!
With the same tired old repurposed stock footage? No thanks. Happy New year!
Happy New Year lovely lady! ❤
Thank you for entertaining me through 2022 and I look forward to whatever you have in store for us in 2023.
As a French person I really like it when you cover cases from France. Having lived in the UK for many decades I don’t always know of the more obscure tragedies unlike the Dupont de Ligonnès one which is one of the more well known ones. Of course it doesn’t deter from the horrifying nature of such crimes wherever they happen and it’s heartbreaking that sometimes one family member will execute the others for a financial gain or for whatever other reason. Thank you
Ugh the Dupont de Ligonnès case is so sad.
Thanks for these consistent uploads DC and here's to a happy 2023
Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for sharing the story of Mechinaud family in your 1st video in 2023.
The heavy fog seems to be the key. I'm thinking they went into the water at some point, just not one of the points which were searched. They are probably still nearby, but time and nature have sadly probably erased most of the evidence.
There are RUclips divers who have found remains of bodies and cars. I think they are just dedicated and determined and have more attention to detail because I think they got results when police hired divers didn’t
Since there have been so many cases here in the USA where long missing persons and their vehicles have been found in bodies of water, this is what makes the most sense to me as a possibility. The foggy conditions, the late hour, the complete disappearance of everyone and the vehicle, plus the holiday food and the gifts under the tree suggest this to me even more.
Thank you for sharing this story. Well told, but it made me sad.
Interesting. Thanks. Also I've just realised you never go on about like, subscribe, join the club, buy my merch etc. It's refreshing and it didn't stop me from subbing when I did.
To say they did go not in the river sounds to me wrong, they might not have hit the structure of the bridge, but if they ploughed through the snow tracks might be hard to find if you start looking 2 weeks later in the middle of the snowing winter. Also 50 years on there could have been a lot of floods and a lot of debris pilied on the car. The car was not that big and could have rusted away a lot that is why it is may be difficult to find. It has been a lot of time...
It’s only been within the last few years that really methodical searches of lakes and rivers has been done in a number of locations in the USA to look for submerged vehicles, and a number of missing people have been found underwater through these. We now are accustomed to this happening here, which makes me sure that’s what happened to this family.
I love the format of your videos - how you get right into the cases without a bunch of talking at the beginning and end. No doubt some people enjoy that, but I don't, which is why I never hesitate to click on your videos. I know what to expect and can easily follow them. What a great channel. 🤍
It seems very unlikely for foul play to have been involved, especially considering they were celebrating that night and were all prepared for the Christmas Day festivities. The thick fog combined with the fact that they weren't familiar with the area, makes it possible that he could have taken a wrong turn. Obviously, I have no idea what happened, but in cases like this, it's usually a car accident. Such a sad situation. My heart goes out to this little family and their loved ones who are left wondering. 💔
Excellent narration, as usual. So sad that there hasn’t been a resolution one way or the other. Very sad. Thank you and Happy New Year 🎉 🦋🦋🦋
Truly head-scratching. All bodies of water on route to his parents were checked?
It seems in most of these cases where people disappear whilst driving is that the vehicle has somehow plummeted into a body of water. On a few cases I've read about people have been located in times of drought when the body of water dries up
I imagine they searched above the dam just off the D48. That’s where I would’ve looked just based on a quick glance at the map. Looks easy to take that off ramp in the fog accidentally and go right into the deeper water above the dam. Probably that’s been searched numerous times but late at night in the fog… looks like an easy driving mistake to make.
Also, the pressure of the water might keep the dark colored car pinned up against the dam. Maybe?
Hopefully someday a dive team will search every nook and cranny down there
It's always a good day when Dark Curiosities uploads! 😊
Thirsty much?
Indeed it is
@@CHET1 I really enjoy this channel, and am happy when they post. Consider me simple, or "thirsty" but I see nothing wrong with letting a creator I enjoy know that I'm glad they posted. If you have an issue with it, well, that sounds like a YOU problem!
Happy New Year, indeed.
Can we all just appreciate this comment?
Please pin me
Everything points to car veering into a body of water: the fog, alcohol at the party, late night driving, a whole family and their car missing with no traces of the vehicle. What else could it be?!? Stuns me to think they searched the waters and found nothing, probably ineptitude??
Is it possible to have a quick sand under the water?
@@idontremembermakingythandle Maybe, it might also have been swept away...unless they drain the lake or river it is probably still under there
She said the father was not drinking and if he took his time, they should've made it home. This is a strange case for sure.
@@kacielewter7292 should've but didn't
If there was a current in the river, it could have been swept further than searchers realized, so they perhaps didn't search far enough. Or if the fog disoriented the driver, he could have driven the wrong direction and the car could have gone into the river somewhere other than where they searched.
The question of what happened to them is for sure a mystery and hopefully one day it can be revealed. Great case.
Always enjoy your content. Have a happy and blessed new year!
blessed? what exactly does that mean?
@david husband I believe it means a 2023 filled with goodness. You've never heard that expression before?
Still think no big mystery here - they ended up in a body of water. What tire tracks did LE try to locate if they started the search only after 2 weeks??? Take a look at any of AWP videos- it takes an enormous effort to spot a vehicle in a body of water esp. after so many years
I think that due to the fog that night,they somehow got on the wrong road unknowingly and then went off of it and into the water at a different location than any that have ever been searched.
That’s what I was thinking. Maybe took a wrong turn in the fog. I believe the car is in water somewhere.
Just look at where they lived- the whole village looks like it was carved into the side of a cliff. It was foggy that night; they drove off some cliff into water, just hvnt bn found yet.
What a complete mystery,can’t imagine how an entire family could just disappear?
Water would be the only obvious place they could have been?
No sign of them for nearly 50 years, they must have died, very tragic!!
Hi Dark Curiosities Family…
A Happy New Year To You All !❤
Since it was dark and foggy, I imagine they somehow had an accident and wound up in a river or lake somewhere.
If they actually drowned, it’s so scary and unsettling to think that somewhere, in some body of water, a car with 4 people in it has been sitting undisturbed for more than 50 years.
After watching far too many videos like this, it is unsettling to think that there are probably many cars in bodies of water with people in them all over the world. Bodies of missing people in general in random places all over the world. Creeps me out.
Happy New Year Everyone and Thank You Dark Curiosities for All Your Excellent Videos and the Hard Work you do! Most likely the Mechinaud lies somewhere on the bottom of a river-ocean. We had a case here in Norway, where an okd man and his fine car just went missing. The police scoured the lakes along the road without any result. Then 50 years later an investigator looked at the case again, and they finally found the man and his car in one of the lakes they searched. He had sunked into the river mud, concealing the car.
With the car having never been found, I think it must've ended up in the water with the family either drowning or if they escaped, freezing to death. But that still leaves the question of where their bodies are. A very strange xase, well presented as always.
I wonder if there are bodies of water they could have accidentally or intentionally driven into? It is very hard to hide a car, but people drive into water - especially at night in bad weather. Perhaps they are out there in a pond or lake.
Happy New Year. Glad to have discovered your channel this year! 🎉
While it does indeed sound like an unfortunate case of a submerged vehicle, if I understand correctly, it's only by the account of the friends they visited that they actually left their home that evening at all. I don't like to cast aspersions on the last people to see them - particularly their own friends, however, with such an intensive air, ground and water search, it seems rather peculiar that no evidence of a car leaving the road was ever found - which one would think would be noticeable in winter conditions and in particular to a trained eye. That said, I'm sure the family's friends have been cleared - it just stuck out as an oddity.
Conversely, maybe once driving the family decided the fog wasn't too bad and continued their travels elsewhere, as in beyond the trek back to their home (possibly to briefly stop in on another friend) and thus, the search did not encompass a large enough area so as to include further areas where a submerged vehicle could be if the assumption that they would strictly return home meant the search focused mainly between their home and their friends'.
Should they have taken a wrong turn if the thick fog was a major contributing factor, trying to make a 3 point turn on narrow rural roads can also be rather dangerous in the wintertime as the shoulder can be soft and appear wide or level when it isn't. Upon backing on such a shoulder in an attempt to turn around, their vehicle could have easily slid backwards/downwards into a body of water, heavily forested area, marshland, etc., - all of which could make it difficult to see from the air and the road.
Just some thoughts. Hope the family is found and put to rest. So sad for their loved ones and the community.
Fog is one of the most dangerously underrated hazards of driving, especially when you get it in patches. One minute you're in the clear, then then next second you're driving through milk. It can come upon you really fast and unexpected, and that's most likely what happened. They lost their way and crashed into either a river or a ravine.
I can understand if the person has a history of not wanting to be found, but when it's completely out of character and/or involves children... Do your job!
Stories like this are baffling. Can you imagine the questioning their friends were subjected to after being the last people to have seen the family alive. I really hope what happened to the poor family, will be uncovered someday. Like many other people commenting, I can only think that their car veered into a lake or river on that fateful night.
I understand what the former mayor is saying about there more than likely being tire tracks had the family gone into the water, however, the search didn't begin until almost two weeks after this would have happened. That is more than enough time for tracks to have been covered by snow or other tire tracks or washed away by rain/rising water levels.
I love this channel.
Fog and heavy snowfall should be respected and not ventured in it.
Very Well Done, Thank You DC
Thank you, DC. Another mysterious disappearance of a family. Probably overlooked in a body of water.
I'm surprised no one is saying he was a Soviet spy. The problem with that is that he and his wife both had family in the area, and he seems not to have had access to any information the Soviets would have found particularly interesting, but it was the 1970's, and the KGB *could* have arranged an extraction.
I dunno…that’s hardly the simplest explanation and I’m not sure such an attention-catching situation desirable extraction…but hey, y’a never know!
@@privatelyprivate3285 Yeah, but "spy" was one of the guesses that came out early enough with the Somerset Man.
Happy new year! Thanks for your stories.
It happened recently in the US, two teenage girls went missing in 1969 and their car was found in a body of water. I believe it was spotted on Google maps?
I still think they're in the water. There wouldn't be skid marks from slowly drinving into water in the fog. I saw a similar case where they found an entire car with the person that had been missing for decades at the bottom of a lake they'd already searched many times.
…no clear tracks especially after two weeks
They always say that an "accident" like falling into a lake or something is less probable... when in reality, it's more common that we think. And from all the theories, I believe that's the most likely to be true.
They don't hav3 to be in the water. Many cases of missing people in cars have been found much later, not visible from above. They usually appear to have veered off the road and crashed into a tree, in just the right angle, that makes it impossible for anyone to see the car from the road or aerial viewing. A hiker, who off the designated path, usually encounters this kind of accident.
The fact that they waited two weeks before looking for the family, doesn't help. They didn't have to go through a guardrail to have an accident, and if there were tire tracks left behind, they'd blown away or washed away, by the time they decided to actually look for the family. The canapy could conceal a small car made even smaller, if it suddenly impacted an established tree. Imo
1972- France - Mechinaud family moved to a small village in France and husband Jacques was a hard worker. The family disappeared on Christmas Eve after leaving by car to attend a party. A missing persons report was filed with the police when the family did not show up a days. The family was missing and after 46 years after the family had disappeared another investigation was started. But the family was never found or located.
Your voice is freaking perfect! I don't know what it is about British accents, but 😍!
The word 'rue' means 'street' in French. The family thus obviously didn't live on a street called 'Rue Street', they lived at 14 route de Saint-Trojean.
I think the car is in the Charente River, buried under decades of silt, possibly carried some distance downstream by the current.
Just one thing you mis-identify the street of the house - It's on Route de Saint Trojan (Not Rue Street - although abbreviated to "Rte de St. Trojan" it's easy to mistake "Rte" for 'Rue' and the abbreviated "St." for 'Street' not 'Saint').
Also from experience, I know the Gendarmerie can be a little glacial in getting involved and on a local scale there can often be issues with inter municipality communication. In France there are three levels of police, (The municipal police, the police nationale and the Gendamerie) - while I found it easier to deal with the municipal police - I found them extremely helpful, but they're responsible for their local area only and aren't really geared for largescale work (their work is usually dealing with local drunks, directing traffic and the minutiae of local policing. The gendarmes on the other hand have a large pool of resources, however, they're frequently hogtied by procedural red tape - France has very restrictive privacy laws and even today you need a warrant from a procurator (equivalent of a US D.A.)to do a triangulation search for a 'phone.
Recent searches have utilized sonar, dragging and divers, but I believe the river is fast flowing and any car in the water could be carried a substantial distance in two weeks (although there are a couple of weirs on the river).
Statistically the most likely scenario would be an accident (in an area that wasnt searched). Then murder-suicide by the hands of the father (there is a lot of woodland and they may drove murch further than the investigators thought). That they started a new life somewhere or got killed by a stranger (or even someone they knew) would be least likely in my book..
Unfortunately it is pretty safe to say that the family died a long time ago.
That is absolutely crazy! The whole family missing?No one, especially in a vehicle goes unknown for this long! There is sonar, divers who can get vehicles up! Or were the bodies of water too shallow to hide a vehicle? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
That’s why I’d never move to anywhere in the forest or mountains 🏔️ too risky when bad weather happens
@adventureswithpurpose should go to France for this one.
So sad for the remaining families.
Almost 200k subs!
Everyone just automatically taking the word of the couple who’s house they went to Christmas Eve. How do we know there wasn’t an altercation…an inappropriate act…
Something/anything could’ve happened & maybe they never left that house Christmas Eve. 🤷♀️
Cadaver dogs or even ground penetrating radar (in case the car was buried w them in it) should be used around that property.
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they ended up in water. Winter = terrible currants, police didn’t even bother to search for them until 2?ish weeks later, that’s more than enough time for a car with 4 bodies to drift.
Love your channel, but way too many ads today.
Thanks DC🙏💔🕊️🦌
Decades-old car wrecks do occasionally wash up from bodies of water. I believe this is pretty much the only chance for this case to ever be solved.
When cars are never found it seems likely they are in a body of water or at the bottom of a steep incline (cliff, ravine, etc).
Hope one day some answers are found.
Adventures with Nug needs to go to France.
With the fog so thick, there probably wouldn't be any marks on the road where they went off. They'd be off before they would even know it. So sad.
I really wonder what happened to them, I so pray that they find them so that there family and friends can have some closure. Happy New year Everyone.
It is crazy an entire family disappears. Especially after decades. Still nothing.
Car going over the side of the cliffs into water or over side of the mountain is most likely. There seems to be no sign the car was found.
In poor weather and darkness, they would have to drive all night to cross the country. The conditions were poor even for a short drive as the friends had mentioned.
I wonder why the inheritance only became an issue 40 years later. Perhaps the parents of Jacques passed away then the siblings jointly owned the land for a while before deciding to sell it.
No disrespect meant to the victims but human bodies could easily be lost over the years of freezes and thaws, animal predation and so on. While the car should not be subject to that, I don't think the whole town is looking for this family constantly for 40 years. So old car parts could be found and not recognized.
I agree with the minister who discounts more of the gossip and affairs rumors. Seems like people were as bad then as today at filling in the blanks with imagination.
I’ve noticed from unresolved disappearance cases that this can quote easily be a logistical nightmare for those left behind beyond legacy logistics. Sure, insurers are happy to withhold payments a death is not proven but whose real effects on families find them needing it, but suspended activity (like unpaid property taxes) can find people out of house/home/shared property, repossessions, frozen/unobtainable shares assets, screwed up credit ratings, anything that wreaks havoc on even those continuing on with nothing to gain from the death - that’s partly why declaration of legal death exists in the first place.
Unfortunately in cases like this (whole family + car missing, usually at night or inclement weather) they are almost certainly in a body of water :(
It has to be water, other than that I’m not sure what else. I know they said they didn’t find tire tracks but I’m assuming it’s because it took a long time for an investigation to get started.
New technology is helping them find lost cars in lakes and rivers. I hope someone is looking for it
There in the water in between friends house and there house there equipment isn't as good as we have here they need to check the water with a high tech sonar system there in there
That it wasn't until January that anyone in authority gave a crap is...why no one knows what happened.
they def crashed and just havent found the car yet
I am sure they are somewhere in that river. What else could it be?
Thank you for another great video. I hate to say it but I believe that the family was taken far away and met with foul play. The dad probably went on living in secret if he did not take his own life. Tragic story but there are no other possibilities that I can think of. Happy New Year everyone and God bless.
The family likely perished that night in the fog, driving into the water being most probable, it was total, inept investigation and delays in the searching, valuable time was lost.
My wife thinks a UFO got them.
Your videos creep me out more than any other channel I know lol
Have you heard of the Jack family gone missing in 1989?
look in the lakes again
I would imagine they had a car accident. Cars can stay in the water undiscovered for years.
The fog may have been a portal to another time or dimension.
So many families just up and vanishing in Europe….. 😢
Maybe they are at the bottom of a river a long way from where they lived? How many times have we scene missing people found many years later in cars submerged in water. If they are in a river a long way from home that would point to it being deliberate.
Though I adore France, there missing persons reporting criteria is abysmal, especially when children are involved. Furthermore, it was apparent that when they went to the house they should have acted upon the family missing as it was obvious that they never returned home on Christmas Eve. And Pierreete had TWO small children at home with the outdated technologies at that time, how could she possibly have an affair?? Two small children, a house and husband to care for?? Small towns are lovely but live for gossip!
The law has changed alot since the 70's. Police now will investigate even an adult reported missing if the disappearance is "out of character". But if the person willingly disappeared and refuses to have contact with the relatives whom reported them missing, the Police still won't disclose their whereabouts, only telling that the person has been contacted and is alive.
They might of not got into the car and be in the area of the other family they were visiting.
Happy new year everyone
🍾🎉🍾🎉🍾🤣🍾🎉🍾
What a tragedy!!
Those damm aliens did it
When they say "hard to leave France back then", I don't understand. Why couldn't they just cross the border into Germany and never come back?