It was thirty years ago, almost to the day. On November 14, 1996, Marion Wagon, a 10-year-old girl, disappeared in the streets of Agen, in Lot-et-Garonne. The 10-year-old girl disappeared shortly after noon while returning home to have lunch with her parents. Since then, thousands of leads have been explored - one man even confessed to his kidnapping in 97, a testimony ultimately deemed fanciful - but his sudden disappearance, in broad daylight and on the public highway, remains an enigma. However, justice has not given up on shedding light on this matter: this Friday, a new call for witnesses was launched by the Nanterre cold case center.
The specialist magistrates, who took over this case in 2022, are looking for a man who would now be around sixty years old. They rely on a recent testimony, collected by the gendarmes of the Bordeaux Research Section: a woman, a schoolgirl at the time of the events, remembered that on the day of Marion Wagon's disappearance she was followed by a man in his thirties - brown, thick hair, brown eyes, dark skin. That day he was wearing a blue cable-knit sweater. The teenager had found refuge with a friend at 2, rue de Lisbonne, in Agen. A place already identified in the investigation since it is at this address that the specialized dogs stopped on several occasions after the disappearance of Marion Wagon.
“A glimmer of hope”
“Marion's parents know well that it is not because we search for witnesses that we will find the culprit,” confides their lawyer since the start of the case, Me Georges Catala. They have a glimmer of hope, obviously, even if they remain very, very cautious. » The young woman, who went to school right next to Marion Wagon, had already been interviewed during the neighborhood investigation but it seems that she did not mention this episode. Justice hopes that his testimony, considered serious, will open the way for others. Investigators are seeking in particular to determine whether other girls or teenagers were approached or followed that day by a man with a similar profile.
“A call for witnesses in an old case can help revive the memory,” analyzes honorary magistrate Jacques Dallest*, a specialist in cold cases. These may be people who felt that their testimony was not sufficiently important or detailed and who finally decide to speak. We can also imagine that thirty years later, those around the author, if they know something, provide information. » On several occasions, the cold case center has already broadcast calls for testimonies. The process, however, has a downside and not the least: it is very random and requires significant sorting and verification work. “It must be considered as an additional tool in the investigation,” continues the magistrate.
DNA and re-exploited tracks
Since the arrival of this file at the Nanterre cold case unit, the investigation has gained momentum. The testimonies were re-studied, the reports and expert opinions re-read, the leads re-exploited to ensure that no detail was overlooked. “This is the first time that my clients are confronted with human justice, which considers them as victims, they who have been mistreated so much,” insists Mr. Georges Catala. Many avenues have been neglected in this file, processed in haste. Of course, there are almost 8,000 pieces but nothing has been thoroughly excavated. »
Thanks to advances in science, the little girl's DNA has also been reconstituted from that of her parents. A crucial element which made it possible to make comparisons with DNA found in the van of the serial killer, Michel Fourniret. If this lead ultimately proved unsuccessful, other comparisons are underway with samples taken near the place of his disappearance, starting with the building in front of which the dogs stopped. A technical room in this building was the subject of a careful search, even if 30 years later hopes are slim. “In kidnapping cases, the absence of a body is an additional difficulty. It is often on the corpses that we have the most clues to trace the author,” explains Jacques Dallest.
Another lead is the subject of in-depth investigations: that of a former neighbor of the family, who committed suicide two years after the disappearance of Marion Wagon, involved in a sexual assault case. One avenue among others, obviously, but which needs to be re-exploited. “Why are we only doing this research now? It should have been done twenty-eight years ago, protests Mr. Georges Catala. The cold case unit does a fantastic job but comes after decades of legal disaster. » However, one hope remains: the fresh perspective of this specialized center has borne fruit: in five years of existence, it has enabled the arrest of 17 suspects in around fifteen different cases.
