Woman found after she went missing 14 years ago

In France, a 37-year-old Belgian woman who disappeared 14 years ago has been found.

The 37-year-old woman led a quiet life in the French town of Condrieu, near Lyon. In 2011, she pretended to be a bone marrow cancer patient in Ruette, a village in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. She raised nearly 7,000 euros through a fake charity event. The fraud was discovered, and in 2015 she was sentenced to one year in prison, but by then she had already fled to France.

In France, she built a new life, working in hospitality and later becoming known as a painter and the owner of a local business. She never used her real name, slightly varying it or using her husband's name, whom she married this year.

Her past recently came to light due to a real estate dispute, in which curious villagers uncovered her background. There will be no extradition to Belgium as her conviction has expired since May 2020.

In the French newspaper Le Progrès, she expressed her regret: "I had a difficult childhood, sought attention, and made a foolish mistake. Now I want to leave that past behind."

(PP with DC - Source: Le Progrès, 20 Minutes - Picture: © Unsplash)