It has been almost eight months since the relatives of Anne-Cécile, a 50-year-old hiker from Béarnaise, have not heard from her. His ex-wife, Valérie Hondeville, asks walkers to keep an eye out for the Balaïtous hiking trails, in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Going on a hike in this sector, Anne-Cécile has not given any signs of life since October 24, 2021. The family wants answers, whether it’s his ex-wife or their two young children.
Answers for their children
The search resumed a few weeks ago, after the start of the snowmelt. Anne-Cécile and Valérie Hondeville have two children together, aged 6 and 11. “They were persuaded for a long time, every day as soon as I had someone call me on the phone, they would come right away“, says Valerie. “They said to themselves that it was not possible, that we could not find her.“For the eldest, it is unthinkable to disappear in the mountains. He finds it difficult to understand how, on a hiking trail, one can disappear.
The most difficult thing for the mother is to explain the situation to the children, especially for the youngest. “I think they know she’s dead, but for them there’s still hope. Two months ago, my twelve-year-old son told me “But if it is, she is in an igloo and she managed to survive”. Children systematically look for ways to find solutions for things that are actually unimaginable.“
Find it to understand and move forward
For Valérie, the situation is also very painful. The two women lived together for 27 years. “I am immensely sad. We’ve been through a lot, we have a lot of memories, we have two beautiful and beautiful children“, she explains.”Losing someone is complicated, but not knowing is worse.“She still hopes to find her, even if she is convinced that she will be dead. “I can’t imagine having to wait maybe a lifetime to find out what happened to her and where ‘She is,’ she says.