Disappearance of Tiphaine Véron
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Tiphaine Véron | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 July 1982 Rennes, France |
| Disappeared | 29 July 2018 (aged 36) Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality | French |
| Known for | Missing person |
| Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
Tiphaine Véron (born 22 July 1982;[1] disappeared 29 July 2018) was a French tourist who went missing in the historical Japanese city of Nikkō, located 150 kilometers north of Tokyo. She was last seen eating breakfast at the hotel where she was staying.
Disappearance
[edit]Tiphaine arrived at Narita International Airport in Tokyo on 27 July 2018.[2] She had meticulously planned her three-week vacation, with detailed plans of where to go, up to about 14 August, when she was scheduled to return to France. She stayed in Tokyo for her first night, before heading to Nikkō by train on the 28th. CCTV footage caught her heading to her hotel in Nikkō, the Turtle Inn Nikko, from the train station that day.[2]
On 29 July, five witnesses saw Tiphaine eating breakfast at the hotel. She then left to go sightsee, as she had planned to do.[2] Tiphaine never returned to her hotel, and the owner filed a missing person report the following day.[2]
Initial search (2018–2019)
[edit]On 1 August, the Véron family was notified of Tiphaine's disappearance by the French Embassy.[2] Tiphaine's sister and two brothers then traveled to Japan on 6 August to assist in the search. In addition, Tiphaine's mother sent a letter to French president Emmanuel Macron, urging him to increase resources for the search.[citation needed]
On 9 September, Tiphaine's sister, Sibylle, appealed to tourists visiting Nikkō, asking if they had any photos relating to her case. She also called out to Macron on 17 October, in the courtyard of the Élysée, when he was meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was visiting France at the time.[citation needed]
On 10 November, a protest and information campaign "to find Tiphaine" by 500 citizens took place in Poitiers.[citation needed]
From 7 to 17 May 2019, a search was carried out by mountain rescue experts but yielded no results.[citation needed]
In August 2019, a new search, consisting of five volunteers and seven dogs from Japan Rescue Dog was organized, but that too was fruitless.[2]
Position of the family
[edit] |
After the May 2019 search, the Véron family declared that they did not believe that Tiphaine was involved in an accident but that foul play was involved, and that they were planning to make additional trips to Japan. They also stated that the files submitted to French authorities by the Japanese police were incomplete. They considered that the interrogations carried out by Japanese police were incomplete and contradictory to what they perceive had actually happened around the time of Tiphaine's departure from the hotel. Tiphaine's Google Maps data had made it possible for her family to track her locations from when she set foot in Japan until 11:40 am of the day of her disappearance, when her Wi-Fi connection was lost.
Mobilization
[edit]Tiphaine's relatives have created the association "United for Tiphaine".[3]
Xavier Niel, founder of the telecommunications company Free, assisted the Véron family technologically.[4] In particular, Niel's research of her phone signals established that Tiphaine's phone was disabled forcefully, such as the battery being torn off or the phone being destroyed, rather than by normal means.[5]
Comedian Élie Semoun made an appeal on social media in July 2020, on the second anniversary of Tiphaine's disappearance.[6]
The investigation was also aided by Kazunari Watanabe, a local pensioner who has visited Nikkō over 40 times to take part in the search.[7]
2020 investigation
[edit]In July 2020, French justice minister Éric Dupond-Moretti took over the case, stating that he was in the process of identifying the best way to urge future actions in Japan.[8][9]
An investigating judge was appointed in Poitiers,[4] and an active investigation remains open in France for kidnapping and forced confinement, in support of the family's belief that foul play was involved in Tiphaine's disappearance.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron : la maman et le frère espèrent "un signe" à Nikko (Japon)". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). 23 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f unis pour tiphaine. "les dates clés" (in French).
- ^ "Association Unis pour Tiphaine". unispourtiphaine.org. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ a b Isabelle, Riviere (13 January 2020). "18 mois après la disparition de la Poitevine Tiphaine Véron au Japon, sa famille ne croit plus à l'accident". France Bleu (in French). Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ "Tiphaine Véron, disparue depuis deux ans : Elie Semoun lance un appel". DNA (in French). 25 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
Aujourd'hui, ses proches sont persuadés qu'il s'agit d'un enlèvement, d'autant que, grâce à l'opérateur Free, ils ont appris que son téléphone portable avait été éteint de façon violente, soit à la suite d'une chute, soit après que la batterie a été arrachée.
- ^ Dorcet, Marie (25 July 2020). "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron au Japon : l'humoriste Elie Semoun lance un appel dans une vidéo". France Bleu (in French). Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ Paillot, Fabien (28 July 2020). "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron : "J'ai visité la ville 47 fois pour la rechercher", témoigne un Japonais". leparisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ H.C.; Gérard Elodie (1 July 2020). "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron : la famille fait appel au cabinet de Dupond-Moretti pour relancer les investigations". franceinfo (in French). Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ Paillot, Fabien (29 July 2018). "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron : "La solution viendra de la France", estime son frère". La Parisien (in French). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ "Disparition de Tiphaine Véron au Japon : Elie Semoun lance "une bouteille à la mer"". Paris Match (in French). 27 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.