World3 min(s) read
Published 11:10 06 Aug 2026 GMT
The disappearance of an elderly lady with Alzheimer's had plagued a quiet neighborhood for two years until an unlikely discovery was made online.
Paulette Landrieux, 83, from Andenne, Belgium, who was cared for by her husband, mysteriously went missing on November 2, 2020, after she was left unattended watching television.
In a video investigating how the woman’s disappearance went unsolved for so long, true crime content creator MrBallen said: "Paulette needed help remembering to eat or to take her medications on time.
“Sometimes she would just wander off without telling Marcel, and he would have to go and corral her and bring her back home.”
In spite of an extensive search operation that involved a helicopter, Landrieux was not found and weeks quickly turned into months without the octogenarian being located.
Tragically, her husband Marcel began to believe that he would die without ever knowing what happened to his wife.
However, two years later a chilling discovery was made by a neighbor who was baffled by the disappearance. While browsing the local area, they found a picture of Landrieux on Google Maps.
She was spotted walking away from her house while Marcel could be seen in the background hanging up laundry on a washing line.
The knowledgeable neighbor quickly alerted the authorities, which prompted investigators to reconstruct Landrieux’s route.
According to MrBallen: “Across the street was a steep hill that led down to a thick bramble bush.”
Tragically, Landrieux’s body was found in that bush shortly after the operation began.
“When that huge search for her was going on, very likely she was just trapped down there,” the podcaster explained.
“She didn’t understand what was going on, couldn’t necessarily yell up to communicate with anybody, and so she stayed down there and died.”
In a bizarre turn of events, Landrieux’s tragic fate was discovered not through forensic science or the surfacing of a previously private witness, but an eagle-eyed neighbor browsing a digital map.
The heartbreaking story proves that sometimes even the tiniest details need to be trawled through to uncover the truth.
One of the most gut-wrenching facts about this case is that she was so close to her heartbroken husband; it was only terrain, circumstance, and a missed digital clue that separated them.
Also, Landrieux serves as a stark reminder about the fragility of life and how hard it can be for someone with Alzheimer's and their loved ones.
