Original subtitles

(soft orchestral music)

(soft melodic music)

- [Narrator] Lucas Tronche, known to his family and friends

as highly intelligent and endlessly curious

was a quiet, compassionate and diligent leader.

His deep rooted passion with scouting and survivalism,

as well as his devotion to helping others was cut short

by an unexplainable, unsolved disappearance

in the late afternoon hours of March 18th, 2015,

leaving all who knew him across his hometown

of Bagnols-Sur-Ceze of Gard, France,

grasping for answers in a sea of evidence,

that drowned us all in doubt.

As a hope to provide more substantial reasoning

built upon observable evidence and situational analysis,

this is an examination of the disappearance of Lucas Tronche

and the mysterious lack of clues left behind.

This is "Cold Case Detective."

(somber orchestral music)

Lucas Tronche was born on April 18th, 1999

to parents, Eric and Nathalie Tronche

in the Gard department of Southern France.

Lucas joined three older brothers,

all integral parts to the close-knit Tronche clan

with a younger brother born a few years later.

To support a quickly growing family,

both Eric and Nathalie secured engineering jobs

with the French Alternative Energies

and Atomic Energy Commission.

The complex work turned over a steady income

for the Tronche couple and allowed for a comfortable youth

for both Lucas and his siblings.

At a young age, Lucas displayed a natural gravitation

towards the outdoors, the natural world

and all living things in general.

He loved spending time out in the open air

learning as much as he could

about the environment around him and the Earth at large.

When he was just a young lad,

Lucas became a Junior Scout as an extra curricular activity

and began a multi-year scouting journey,

that would last into his teenage years.

Through scouting, Lucas learned basic survival skills

and wilderness wisdom, he also gained vital life skills,

such as the importance of charity and volunteering,

civil servitude and responsibility.

Lucas was a natural Scout born to guide others,

while constantly finding it in himself

to make himself proud, never disappointing his parents,

teachers, or instructors.

Despite his tireless work ethic and devotion to scouting,

Lucas was considered a very well-rounded child,

balancing education with his various interests.

While he wasn't the most talkative kid,

Lucas did enjoy competing in sporting events

with fellow teammates, especially badminton.

Alongside his brothers, Lucas was also an avid swimmer.

While it wasn't his absolute favorite pastime,

he did attend swimming courses throughout his youth

and into adolescence refining his athletic prowess

and to top it all off, Lucas's determination

and undying pursuit to be great

brought him success no matter what endeavor he was given,

earning him well-deserved confidence in all he accomplished.

Considering Lucas spent most of his time playing sports

or going on adventures with fellow Scouts,

many figured he would be an extremely outgoing,

extroverted teenager, but in fact, he was anything but,

many friends and family around the 15-year old boy

described him as introverted, keeping to himself,

as he ventured out into the world.

Lucas wasn't displaying a cold shoulder though,

many of Lucas' closest confidants said Lucas was

intrinsically connected to all living things,

including other people, he cared deeply about his brothers,

his parents and his friends at school.

He was quick to look out for those in need

and never shied away from sacrificing time

to assist someone on their training or special project.

Lucas' compassion and natural empathy was best exemplified

through his connection and passion for animals

spending his last few years researching biology

and prepping for veterinarian school post-graduation.

He entered his first year at the three-year,

French high school system with the tri-perfect plan,

scouting, swimming and science would provide goals

and professional developments

throughout his last few years of schooling

and would launch him into his dream career as an adult.

Everything was set up perfectly,

until one afternoon's series of mysterious events

changed forever the trajectory of Lucas' promising life.

Let's now turn to a timeline of events,

that led up to Lucas' baffling disappearance.

A couple of months into 2015,

sometime in the middle of February,

Lucas Tronche finds new found troubles going to sleep.

He tosses and turns in the night,

as observed by his father, Eric,

As the month of February wears on,

the Tronche family leaves their home in Bagnols-Sur-Ceze

for a ski trip in the mountains.

Despite it being one of Lucas' favorite vacations,

he acts particularly melancholy whilst away,

again noticed by his father, Eric,

when Lucas barely eats anything

for a couple of days in a row.

However, Lucas' appetite returns two days into the trip

and the family goes about the vacation as normal.

Fast forward a month later on Saturday, March 14th

and Lucas spends the day with extended family members,

including a cousin he rarely gets to see,

but loves hanging out with.

That night through Sunday, March 15th,

Lucas joins his scout troop for a weekend camping getaway

independent of adults.

When he returns that Sunday evening,

Lucas tells his father that he had a great time

and was overall delighted with the experience,

back to his jovial, optimistic self in the eyes of Eric.

The following school week begins and on Monday and Tuesday,

March 16th and 17th, Lucas attends school per usual,

without any hassle.

On the evening of March 17th, Lucas participates

in his weekly badminton training at Coubatim Gymnasium.

Neither the other athletes nor Lucas's instructors

notice anything askew that Tuesday.

Again, he returns home in a superior mood

and tells of his excitement to Eric before bed.

The following morning of Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

starts out like any other, the weather is clear

and pleasant for the incoming spring season.

The Tronche family all awakes by sunrise

and engages in their daily routine, getting dressed,

eating breakfast and preparing for school or work.

Eric and Nathalie round up their three sons,

who are still living at home, 15-year old Lucas,

17-year old Valentin and 10-year old Arthur.

At precisely 7:45 a.m., Nathalie drops Lucas off

in front of school on her daily drive to work.

He makes his way to class and throughout that morning

does his routine coursework showing no signs or signals

of distress or that anything is out of the ordinary.

His peers find him in good spirits and quite happy.

At around 12:20 p.m., Lucas returns home from his studies

and eats lunch in the kitchen.

He is joined by Annick,

the nanny of the youngest Tronche brother, Arthur.

Annick tells Lucas that Arthur is invited

to a friend's birthday party that afternoon,

but that Valentin doesn't want to accompany her

to Columbier, the residential,

where the party is taking place

and only a few kilometers from their home.

Lucas agrees to join her and Arthur at the party

and they prepare to leave, a few minutes later,

Annick points Lucas to a 20 euro note on the counter

left behind by Nathalie,

so they might buy a gift for Arthur's friend.

On their way to the party, Lucas buys a gift

worth seven euros and pockets the remaining 13.

Between one p.m. and 2:45 p.m.,

Lucas attends the birthday party with his brother, Arthur,

again showing no hints that something is amiss.

Around three p.m., Lucas returns home,

a few minutes after their return,

Annick goes home by herself,

leaving Lucas with his brother, Valentin,

who busies himself playing on the family's computer.

About an hour later at four p.m.,

Lucas comes downstairs from his bedroom for a snack.

He then goes outside and sits by himself,

while doing something on his phone.

Valentin watches him through the window,

but cannot discern exactly what Lucas is doing.

The family's phone provider said his mobile data

is accessed around this time,

including the popular photo messaging service

of the time called Snapchat, however, it's unknown,

if this is exactly what Lucas is using

during his snack break.

Another hour passes and at around 5:05 p.m.,

Lucas and his brother, Valentin get ready

for their evening swim class at the public swimming pool.

They usually take a bus from an eGard bus stop

on the other side of the Schuman Bridge near their home,

getting to the bus stop via kick scooters.

However Lucas is behind in his preparations,

despite Valentin's efforts to hurry the brothers along,

considering they usually leave at five p.m. sharp

and are running late, Valentin gives one final warning

telling Lucas he has to get moving to which Lucas replies,

saying he'll lock up the house

and meet Valentin at the bus stop in a few minutes.

This is the last confirmed point of contact

and sighting of Lucas Tronche.

At 5:10 p.m., Valentin leaves Lucas behind

and CCTV footage captures him

walking across the Schuman Bridge by himself,

his brother nowhere in sight.

It is assumed that at just about the same time

or a few moments after,

Lucas leaves his swimming gear behind,

retrieves a backpack with a few items inside

and closes up the Tronche residence.

At 5:14 p.m., someone, most likely Lucas himself

turns off his cell phone.

Sometime between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m.,

one of the Tronches' closest neighbors,

a woman by the name of Madeleine spots a young man

walking by the front of her home,

dressed in a beige-gray jacket

heading in the opposite direction of the swimming pool,

bearing a slight resemblance to Lucas.

At 5:30 p.m., Valentin gives Lucas a ring,

as the bus is about to pull away from the curb.

The phone goes straight to voicemail,

but Valentin heads to practice anyway,

assuming that Lucas doesn't want to attend that day

and is staying behind possibly feeling unwell.

Another 30 minutes go by and at around six p.m.,

Nathalie returns home from work with Arthur,

she finds the doors locked and the interior empty.

Two hours pass and at eight p.m.,

Nathalie drives to the eGard bus stop

to pick up Lucas and Valentin,

but arrives only to find Valentin.

He tells his mother that Lucas hadn't shown up

for swimming practice and assumed Lucas just missed the bus

and decided to stay home instead.

Nathalie tells Valentin that she'd been home

the last two hours and saw no sign of Lucas.

She then calls the local Accident and Emergency departments

to check and see if maybe Lucas got in an accident

and was admitted to a nearby hospital.

When this fails to turn up results,

she instead contacts various friends of Lucas,

but none of them have any useful information.

Finally Nathalie makes a report to the police

and they immediately launch a missing persons investigation.

At 11 p.m., Eric returns home from work

and learns of Lucas' disappearance.

He joins the investigative efforts as a manhunt begins.

Nothing noteworthy pops up on law enforcement's radar,

until the following day, when at around 12:15 p.m.

on Thursday, March 19th, a 35-year old neighbor

by the name of Stephanie spots a young man dressed in red

running across her front yard, while she irons.

She tells police that the man was running

in the direction of the vineyards

and happens to only be about 500 meters

from Madeleine's sighting the previous afternoon.

Stephanie describes the young man as slender

with fair-colored hair and mentions her intrigue at the idea

of a young lad running by his lonesome.

A cadaver dog is sent to that exact location later on,

but can only track the running man's scent

for about one kilometer north.

Later that day at around 6:30 p.m. on March 19th,

a close family friend of Eric and Nathalie Tronche,

a man by the name of Rachid Ghamri joins volunteers

as they canvas the areas around Bagnols.

During their search, Rachid sees a unique shape

at the top of a rocky peak up ahead in the distance,

he alerts the group and they all decide that the shape

is the silhouette of a person standing atop the formation.

Rachid attempts a photograph,

but because the sighting happens at dusk,

the lighting is too dark to identify the figure.

Instead, Rachid and the others scream Lucas' name

and walk closer to the rocky formation.

However, as they advance, the figure stands up

and walks away, disappearing into the twilight.

Over the following days of the initial disappearance,

French soldiers and the combined 1,500

Search and Rescue volunteers patrol a four kilometer radius

surrounding the Tronche residece and the River Ceze,

this includes countless cadaver dogs,

professional underwater divers and helicopters

equipped with both mics and thermal vision capabilities.

These efforts are followed

by a massive social media campaign pleading for the public

to help keep an eye out for Lucas,

as well as a healthy distribution of missing person posters.

As one of the first forensic methods

used in the hunt for Lucas, detectives use Luminol

to clear the Tronche household of any blood

or DNA evidence left behind.

After a few more days of investigating,

the Luminol reveals slight traces of blood near Lucas' bed,

but those traces are brought in for further examination

to make sure the traces are in fact blood

and not other cleaning chemicals.

Before the month ends at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 23rd,

a group of Search and Rescue volunteers claim

they spotted Lucas in the hills above Saint-Gervais

watching the vineyard workers,

before bolting into the woods,

similar to the rocky peak sighting made by Rachid Ghamri.

Later that same day, investigators received

their most peculiar sighting lead,

when at around five p.m. on March 23rd,

an anonymous 24-year old man rides his motorcycle

and sees a lonesome teenager walking along

the deserted paths around Bagnols-Sur-Ceze,

holding a rucksack, heading towards Esbrezun,

a small hamlet.

This unidentified man, an experienced cannabis user

knew that marijuana plants were hidden around these pathways

and wondered if the teenager knew it too.

The motorcyclist keeps watching the boy,

as he rides behind him, but eventually turns around,

when the teenager takes a different path

and walks out of his view.

Two days later on Wednesday, March 25th,

the same anonymous motorcyclist

walks into a bakery and sees Lucas' photo

on a missing persons flyer posted inside.

He immediately connects Lucas' profile

to the identity of the lonesome teenager and alerts police,

police bring in the man for questioning,

but the tip provides no major findings.

Another few days pass and on Saturday, March 28th,

law enforcement receives one final sighting,

after a teenage boy and his father

call in to report potentially spotting Lucas

during an afternoon stop in Le Pontet of Vaucluse.

They say a boy appearing to be Lucas was accompanied

by an older woman of about 45 to 50 years old,

but police investigate and claim the lead is a dead end.

It doesn't take long before law enforcement decides

Lucas' disappearance is most likely a kidnapping incident

and on March 30th, the district attorney opens

an official judicial investigation

revolving around abduction and/or illegal confinement.

These theories revolving around foul play are agreed upon

the following month in April of 2015 by Lucas' parents,

Eric and Nathalie, who tell reporters

their son displayed no signs of running away,

mental illness or suicidal thoughts

and are convinced a kidnapper is involved.

This launches a campaign of multiple television appearances

by the parents pleading with the public and viewers

all over the world to join them in the search for their son.

Six months later in October of 2015,

detectives receive what they think

is a major break in the case,

when the Tronche family starts finding a series of letters

addressed to them from an anonymous sender,

who writes to inform them that Lucas is in good health

and that they shouldn't worry.

These letters continue until the following summer,

when on July 12th, 2016, the writer and sender is caught

on CCTV at the sorting office submitting another letter.

Police move in to arrest the sender

and find he is a 57-year old mythomaniac from Valence

with absolutely zero connection to the case.

The man is still incarcerated and sentenced to prison

for at least one year.

The last major clue uncovered by detectives

occurs in December of 2016,

21 months after Lucas disappeared,

the National Police of France unveil a composite sketch

of a man, who had been seen by witnesses

walking passed the Tronches' house the day he went missing.

The man is described as five foot six inches,

in his forties, bald with tattoos on each forearm.

The sketch brings in hundreds of tips,

but nothing of use over the next nine months,

so the police sketch is refined in September of 2017.

Just over a year later in the middle of October, 2018,

police finally apprehend the suspect

depicted in their sketch and bring him in for questioning.

They discover the man resides in Bagnols-Sur-Ceze.

the very town where Lucas lived

and was around the bus stop in question

the day Lucas went missing,

but otherwise has no discernible ties to the disappearance

and the tattooed man is let go.

This is the last major update in the case thus far,

despite renewed search efforts,

yearly vigils held on the anniversary

and an entire nonprofit organization

being dedicated to finding Lucas Tronche.

In a case as detailed and extensive

as Lucas Tronche's disappearance,

there are hundreds of points we could inspect,

analyze and dissect, however, there is one incident,

that keeps catching our eye,

an incident related to the tattooed man we just mentioned

seen by a neighboring witness

riding a bike in front of the Tronche residence

and then arrested two years later after his police sketch

made rounds through the public consciousness.

While the overarching scenario involving the tattooed man

has been laid out by police,

there are a few fuzzy details, that need explaining.

First and foremost, it was revealed

after the tattooed man's arrest,

that he was a resident of Bagnols and lived in the area

both before and during the height of the investigation.

With this in mind, how could it have taken over two years

to find a man with such iconic descriptors,

such as a short stature, a bald head

and specific tattoos on each forearm?

It seems like a long time to miss such a character,

when he's walking around in broad daylight for years on end,

just feet from where Lucas was last seen.

With that being said, it can be argued,

that a man, who just so happened to be walking

through Lucas' neighborhood could be nearly anyone

and could have been just passing through the area,

meaning the man seen that morning isn't the same man

found by authorities two years later.

We must assume that they questioned their tattoo man

in October of 2018 to make sure he was in Bagnols-Sur-Ceze

on March 18th, 2015, but if he lived in the area,

of course the answer would be yes.

There are reports that the tattooed man seen outside

of the Tronches' home was also seen at the eGard bus stop,

before Lucas and Valentin took the coach

to swimming practice.

There exist CCTV cameras around this area,

it seems odd that with the technology available,

authorities weren't able to apprehend the man sooner.

The strange timing isn't the only thing amiss

with the tattoo man story though,

a year after Lucas went missing,

the French news site, Objectif Gard published

a four-part piece detailing the investigation.

In their research, they discovered

that the neighbor's tip about the tattooed man

was at first considered with little importance,

despite the fact that a print shop owner

had a very strange and unsettling encounter

with a potential connection

a few months after Lucas disappeared.

Objectif Gard interviewed the printer,

who gave the following statement,

paraphrased and translated from French to English,

in either May or June of 2015,

a tall, thin, dark, shorthaired man entered the print shop.

He sported tattoos on both arms and rode in on a motorbike,

a detail that stood out,

because he set his helmet by the entrance door.

This man wasn't necessarily clean,

but rather sweaty and unkempt.

He told the print shop employees,

that he worked as an animator in a retirement home

and that night there was a lotto taking place.

Thus he wanted to make A3 posters

of Lucas' missing person poster

in addition to colored flyers to pass out at the event.

The print shop made 30 and 50 of each respectively,

however, what was odd about the ordeal

is that out of the hundreds of posters they made

for various relatives and business owners,

the tattooed man was the only one,

who wanted A3 posters and flyers specifically.

When the print shop charged the man 35 euros,

he claimed his father, a certain Monsieur Durand,

who worked at the Bagnols town hall

would visit the print shop the following day

to pay the fee instead.

However the next day, no one came to offer payment,

in fact, the print shop called the Bagnols town hall

and discovered they had no employees by the name

of Mr. Durand and he likely never existed at all.

The tattooed man himself never returned.

At first glance, this exchange seems peculiar,

yet unimportant, that is unless you consider the fact,

that he isn't the only man on a motorcycle

with double arm tattoos associated with the case.

It begs the same question asked by the editor

at the Objectif Gard, why was this man printing posters

using such a unique format

and why for a lotto at a retirement home?

Why did he lie to the print shop about his father?

Was it because he simply couldn't afford the 35 euros

or was it purposeful to avoid any tracing?

Was he the same tattooed man seen by the neighbor

or the same tattooed man arrested by police in 2018

and if so, did detectives question him about this incident?

It is possible, but according to the police

sketch statistics and the print shop owner's testimony,

this tattooed man was tall,

whereas the original tattooed man was described as short

and finally, why did this mysterious motorbiker

care so much about Lucas?

Is he an actual suspect or just an unruly,

but overall innocent and concerned citizen?

It is impossible to tell,

but questioning this strange and shadowy figure

could be the key to breaking the case wide open.

Let's now turn to the most prominent theories

in the unsolved disappearance of Lucas Tronche.

Before the district attorney's office

and surrounding law enforcement agencies

investigated Lucas' disappearance as a kidnapping,

many wondered if Lucas had run away from home

of his own accord, he was certainly old enough

and had the skills and knowledge to survive on his own

in the wilderness from years of scouting.

One of Lucas' favorite television programs

was "Man Versus Wild," the survivalist reality show

about living in various climates

with only the elements at your disposal.

Of course, thinking a 15-year old teenager

would attempt to do what a team

of professional videographers and television hosts does

just because he liked watching them on television

is quite farfetched and Lucas wasn't naive.

But if Lucas was at least a bit inspired

by their incredible feats,

combined with his love for nature and scouting,

he may have felt the urge to try it for himself.

Remember, the weekend before he went missing,

Lucas spent a few days on a retreat

with his fellow scout troops,

which may have been the trigger

for a try at surviving the great outdoors alone.

That being said, there are some clear signs,

that Lucas did not journey out of Bagnols

with the intent to live off the land.

While a couple of his things were missing,

Lucas left behind most of his scouting gear,

including his field knife.

According to the Tronche parents,

Lucas never went on a scouting mission, camping,

or really anywhere outside of school without his knife.

Lucas understood this to be the most valuable tool

and to leave it behind would be a severe lapse in judgment

and very out of his character,

especially if he were on a quest

to survive in the wilderness.

Other items left behind were his sleeping bag,

another vital piece of equipment, his ID

and most of his money, around 120 euros.

There was no food missing from the Tronches' kitchen

and all of their possessions were found

basically as they were.

It hasn't been clarified exactly what was taken

by Lucas in his small rucksack, but what we do know

is it wasn't enough for longterm outdoor survival.

It's still possible Lucas went out

on his own solo camping excursion,

maybe he wanted to test the extent of his scouting knowledge

by leaving with absolutely nothing.

The fact of the matter is it goes against everything

Lucas displayed in his years of both education

and recreation and although a comforting thought

to believe he left of his own volition,

it simply doesn't add up.

So if Lucas didn't plan a survivalist mission,

is it possible he still left on his own for other purposes?

Some believe so, theorists point to Lucas's peculiar actions

in the hours leading up to his disappearance,

specifically his time spent outside, away from his brother,

busy on his phone in the backyard.

People wonder if Lucas may have been in contact with someone

setting up an appointment or rendezvous

with a stranger unbeknownst to his family.

This is the leading theory of Rachid Ghamri,

the family friend we mentioned earlier.

Rachid believed Lucas met someone either online

or in person and set up a meeting on March 18th.

Obviously whatever happened at that meeting

led to Lucas's disappearance.

Lucas might have turned his phone off

to prevent any distractions

or anyone attempting to communicate with him

during the appointments as he was doing so in secrets

and if the other person he was meeting

intended to kidnap him,

he may have instructed Lucas to turn his phone off.

But if Lucas had always intended

to turn his phone off anyway, why take the phone at all?

Lucas may have wanted it on his person

just in case something went haywire,

but obviously if things did,

he never got the opportunity to turn it back on and use it.

Sadly, the phone was one item never recovered,

its fate resting with Lucas' as well.

There are some complicated facets

to this appointment theory.

It's actually highly unlikely that Lucas

met someone online as he wasn't a fan of social media

and had deleted his Facebook accounts

long before he disappeared.

Authorities did pull his laptop and tablet as evidence

and after numerous dissections of his hard drive

and internet activity, detectives felt

there were no digital or web related leads to be had.

The same can be said about his phone records too,

while the physical device is missing,

the Tronches' telephone providers did perform a scan

of his data both prior to and during the day he vanished.

They discovered that Lucas did access his mobile data

in the hours before 5:10 p.m. on March 18th, 2015,

but what access this was is unknown.

They also determined the phone had not been turned on,

since 5:14 p.m. of the same day,

another gloomy and disheartening piece of evidence.

Eric and Nathalie did not give up hope

and mentioned to police that Lucas did occasionally

use the photo message app, Snapchat

and may have used that to connect to someone on the 18th.

Detectives submitted a request to Snapchat Inc.

in the United States to pull his messages

from their archive, as Snapchat deletes messages

upon arrival on personal devices,

but they are stored forever in Snapchat's servers.

It took almost a year to retrieve the results,

but in early 2016, Nathalie informed reporters,

that the records indicated Lucas did not send

or receive a Snapchat message on March 18th,

nor was he communicating with anyone

out of the ordinary via the app

ending the possibility that he met someone online.

Obviously this doesn't rule out the idea,

that Lucas met someone in person instead,

such as an introduction made by a fellow Scout or teammate,

however, countless teachers, scout leaders,

coaches, family members and friends

along with their parents were interviewed

and not once did any of them mention Lucas interacting

with strangers or even inviting that possibility.

It is certainly not impossible,

but from investigative practices undergone thus far,

it seems very unlikely.

That being said, there is one intriguing theory,

that stems from the idea

Lucas left home under bizarre circumstances

and that involves the theory of the missing stones.

One of Lucas' many fascinations was geology,

collecting stones and precious rocks in his spare time.

Nathalie mentioned after he went missing,

that Lucas was known to leave simply to go and gather stones

and search the surrounding areas for interesting rocks.

She recalled that in December of 2014,

Lucas started coming home with these heavy,

funny-looking stones, almost magnetic feeling.

Lucas told his parents,

that he thought he found pieces of a meteorite.

This compelled him to build a contraption

made of string and powerful magnets,

that aided him in finding and collecting the stones,

sometimes picking up similar pebbles of even smaller size.

The collection kept growing and before he knew it,

Lucas had discovered kilos upon kilos

of the so-called meteorite stones.

If that is what the rocks actually were,

bits of extra terrestrial mineral,

the lot could be worth hundreds, if not thousands of euros.

In a disappointing twist, Eric Tronche learned the stones

were actually just broken pieces of medieval forge slag.

While still unique pieces of rock,

these stones would in reality only be worth a few euros.

However, Lucas might not have been aware of this

and it should be mentioned that some of the strange stones

were missing from Lucas' room the day he disappeared.

Not only that, but not long before that fateful day,

Lucas was sighted at Bagnols street market

in front of a small stand

operated by a man selling unique stones.

Whether or not Lucas bought these stones or other materials

from the mysterious merchant is unknown

and attempts to track him down have been fruitless,

as the merchant has since abandoned the Bagnols market

and presumably left the area entirely,

but this does undeniably feel a little suspicious.

Before any conspiracies are drawn,

it must be stated that the odds are highly coincidental

and that is all it may be, just a coincidence,

yet it does leave a lot to be questioned.

What if this is the person Lucas had made an appointment

with as theorized earlier?

What if the merchant was grooming Lucas

with stories about meteorites,

building trust to the point where he could kidnap Lucas

under the pretense of taking him with him

to find more of these valuable stones.

This would also explain why the stones

are still missing from Lucas' room,

because Lucas was going on what he perceived

as a stone collecting endeavor

with the self-proclaimed expert

and that's where things went awry.

It's a haunting scenario to imagine playing out,

but at least must be considered, as it can't be ruled out,

until the Bagnols stone merchant is found and interrogated

and until this time, a suspect he must remain.

Other theories suggest that whatever happened to Lucas

was accidental and not necessarily a result

of kidnapping or planned abduction.

What if Lucas really did go out in the woods

by himself for a camping trip

and wound up the victim of a hunting accident?

Eric Tronche wondered that himself

early in the investigation

and investigators at the Objectif Gard

followed that theory up interviewing the president

of the Bagnols hunting organization.

The president informs Tony, a 2015 boar hunt

was indeed extended until March 31st of that year

and there were confirmed shots fired in the woods

near the Saduran neighborhood where Lucas lived.

However, he also noted that any hunting accident in the area

would have left a body behind as those woods were searched

meticulously in the weeks that followed.

He also stated that hunters work in pairs

and none of his group members reported anything

or failed to return from their excursion.

Again, this scenario isn't impossible,

but there is simply zero evidence to support it,

unless a massive coverup is underway.

Another theory of accidental basis suggests,

that when Lucas left his home, he was struck by a car

and the driver stashed the body out of plain sight

or took off with the body themselves.

This theory has actually been embraced

by both authorities and Lucas' family,

more so than the ones we've listed thus far.

Initially it may be hard to reconcile with the idea,

that a human being could kill another by accident

and then hide it or never report it,

but it is a more common occurrence,

than we might like to believe.

The driver may not have had insurance

or simply panicked, when they struck a young boy.

Obviously this is inexcusable behavior

and reprehensible beyond a doubt,

but it is in the realm of possibility.

Detectives did investigate this idea by calling mechanics

both in and around Bagnols and asking them

if they'd worked on any damaged vehicles in the 15 days

following March 18th, that may hint at a hit and run.

The query took years to complete

and didn't draw any useful leads,

but it's possible the driver

could have slipped through the cracks

by either driving out of the county

or by never fixing the car at all,

getting rid of it along with Lucas.

So if Lucas didn't leave on his own volition

and his disappearance wasn't an accident

or an accident turned coverup,

what else could explain such an inexplicable vanishing?

It's generally agreed upon,

that Lucas was not abducted from the family home,

there were no signs of forced entry,

there were no valuables stolen and as we stated previously,

Lucas did take a few items, including his phone

and locked the door behind him.

For all intents and purposes,

Lucas left the house by himself,

but what happened right after,

that could have turned nefarious?

If Lucas was kidnapped on his walk around the area,

who might have pulled off this scheme?

There aren't a ton of famous serial kidnappers

or murderers connected to the case,

but one prominent name thrown around early on

was Nordahl Lela Dais, a convicted serial killer

responsible for at least two deaths

and thought to be the killer

in two other homicide investigations.

Nordahl was ruled out of the Tronche case,

because of an analysis of his cell phone's GPS,

which showed he was more than 100 miles away

from the area on March 18th.

However, he was considered a regular

in the public places around Gard and had family members

residing near Bagnols-Sur-Ceze at the time.

Could he have left his phone behind

on the day to thwart tracing?

It seems unlikely and seeing as how investigators

have completely ruled him out as a suspect,

we can say with a degree of certainty,

that it was not Nordahl.

Authorities began to worry

they had an anonymous serial kidnapper on their hands,

who had yet to be caught, when on March 1st, 2016,

almost a year to the day of Lucas' disappearance,

a 16-year old boy by the name of Antoine Zoia

went missing from the village of Clarensac,

a mere 38 miles from Bagnols.

In a similar vein, Antoine left his home

in the afternoon around 1:30 p.m. and was last seen

buying cigarettes from a tobacco shop in town.

He was described as very similar in demeanor to Lucas

and was also majoring in science as a second year student.

However, any connection between the two boys

and sharing a potential perpetrator

was ruled out in October of 2018,

when the decomposed body of Antoine

was found hanging from a tree

in the abandoned woodlands near Clarensac.

Foul play was ruled out after a thorough investigation.

If Lucas was kidnapped or killed,

his offender did not strike again in the area

to the best of our knowledge,

his case being the only one of its kind

in accordance with his demographics

and timeframe in which it happened.

But there is someone else within the confines of the case

thus far, that could be ruled as a suspect,

not often discussed when thinking of theories

surrounding Lucas Tronche.

Remember the man on the motorcycle

we discussed during the timeline of events,

who had seen a teenage boy walking on a remote path,

followed him and then reported him to police two days later,

when he saw Lucas' missing person poster in a bakery?

There may be more about him, than what meets the eye.

Objectif Gard reported in their four-part,

investigative articles back in 2016,

that when this man reported seeing the teenager

on March 23rd, he gave details about Lucas to police,

that not even the missing persons poster provided,

describing him in a way that no one else could

by just seeing a picture or flyer.

The police were initially struck by this,

but after questioning the man,

they did not seem impressed by his sighting.

But our suspicions go beyond just a few peculiar statements.

The man's Facebook profile, according to Objectif Gard

included numerous eyebrow-raising posts,

including photos of the man in the act of using drugs

and public posts about how he desired to be a hired killer.

When Objectif Gard reached out to him in an attempt

to meet and interview him for the story, the man declined,

despite a promise of anonymity.

He was the only person to have spotted Lucas,

who declined to do so,

despite the fact that should his testimony be true,

he is the last one to see Lucas alive.

Now, certainly none of this is grounds for arrest

or even sufficient to come to the conclusion,

that the man could be a killer,

these case points are circumstantial at best.

Sure, there are plenty of incidents throughout history

of the killer in a murder investigation

returning to the scene of the crime

or involving themselves with police or the media

for some sick, self-fulfilling purpose,

however, it is a rarity.

If the man on the motorcycle was culpable in some way,

telling the police voluntarily that he saw Lucas

would be a catastrophically risky move.

That being said, the circumstances

are undeniably suspicious.

His testimony also raises questions,

if that was Lucas out on the abandoned pathways

on March 23rd, what was he doing out there for five days?

How did he survive the five nights

without shelter, food or equipment?

Hundreds upon hundreds of people were searching for him,

looking behind every tree, under every rock

in the area surrounding Bagnols,

yet he was seen walking in broad daylight

a mere 10 kilometers from his home.

How did he avoid detection by thermal cameras

and helicopter patrols and trained cadaver dogs

and soldiers of the French Guard?

It simply doesn't line up.

Maybe the man on the motorcycle did see a teenage boy

and attributed his identity to Lucas

after putting the pieces together incorrectly

upon seeing Lucas' flyer

or maybe his testimony really is the truth,

maybe he truly did follow Lucas into the wilderness.

Until we know for certain, it must at least be considered

included with the numerous other theories

swirling around Lucas Tronche's

seemingly never ending case file.

Before we divulge our hypothesis

of Lucas Tronche's unsolved disappearance,

we want to make it known that our conclusions

as presented in "Cold Case Detective"

are purely logical speculation based on evidence,

circumstance and factual subtext.

We are only privy to the same information

presented in each episode

and we do not attempt to promise certainty

or an expert guarantee on the findings we reach in closing.

We simply observe, research and report.

In the case of Lucas Tronche,

we believe that Lucas did intend to leave his house

that evening of March 18th, 2015,

but not as a test of his survival skills

or a whimsical camping trip gone haywire,

rather when looking at Lucas' behavior

in the weeks leading up to his disappearance,

the signs point in the direction,

that Lucas was struggling with something, albeit silently.

His parents have spoken at length

about how Lucas was a happy teenager

with a lot of positivity and hope

with a bright future he was excited about

and we do not want to discredit those beliefs

or undermine the two people that knew Lucas the best.

However, it bears mentioning that too often,

teenagers struggle with emotional distress or mental illness

without even showing a symptom.

Sadly, this is a by-product of the world we live in,

in which young people, perhaps young boys especially

are told to hide their true feelings,

to act tough and to never be vulnerable.

While we're not saying this is how Lucas

was taught or raised, the present culture

constantly unloading unfair expectations on teenagers

and adolescents has to be considered.

The comments made about Lucas struggling to sleep

and finding things he once found enjoyable and fun

to be lackluster or disengaging are concerning to hear.

Lucas may have been dealing with depression

or an unspoken anxiety and just hidden it well

around his friends at school or coaches at practice.

The outdoors and scouting may have been his solace

and thus camping provided relief from emotional distress.

Nathalie Tronche did say that he liked to go on walks

and if combined with his love of collecting stones,

that may have been the escape he sought after

that fateful evening.

Even with this in mind, there is not enough evidence

to make an affirmative conclusion about what happened

after he walked outside of his house.

Lucas' behavior was not medically diagnosed

and to say for certain,

that Lucas was suffering from depression

would be based on circumstantial readings.

Of course, it is possible that he left

with the intent not to return,

he didn't run away to start a new life,

but perhaps to end his own.

Maybe that is why he took his precious stones with him

as those are what comforted him and brought him joy.

It is a devastating theory,

but one that is worth consideration.

With that said, it is simply a theory

and there is no proof that Lucas is dead

and the chance he is still alive remains the same.

It is also possible Lucas was taken by someone

the day he disappeared,

who that could be is impossible to say

as the list of suspects is infinite at this point.

Was the Bagnols rock merchant involved?

What about the tattooed man from the print shop?

What about the man on the motorcycle,

theoretically the last person to see Lucas alive?

We could run in circles for the rest of our lives,

trying to play a game of Clue

and draw up potential suspect lineups

from case points already cleared by police.

Instead we must remain vigilant in seeking out new clues

and continuing to spread the word,

sharing Lucas' photo, whether it be in France

or Europe or anywhere in the world.

At this time, all avenues must remain open,

as the road to finding Lucas has yet to form a dead end.

As we walk along that path,

seeking answers to bring justice for the Tronche family,

it's important to honor Lucas' memory the way he deserves.

Lucas was a shining example of promising and precious life,

he took each step with purpose and intention,

finding the beauty of the natural world

and balancing that with schooling

and loving friendships and family relationships.

Lucas knew how to make others smile,

even if he didn't feel like smiling himself.

He was a brilliant student

on track to be a brilliant veterinarian.

His connection to animals and Mother Nature

showed his sensitivity, a heartfelt passion,

not always seen in people of his young age.

Lucas Tronche did not let the world

persuade him from chasing his dreams,

throughout his life, he took what mattered most to him

and did everything in his power to make it better.

Deep down, that is who he was, a person endlessly striving

to make the world a better place.

People, pets, plants,

or even a pebble strewn on an abandoned track,

Lucas was there to find the value in everything.

We will not remember Lucas as a missing persons case,

but as a human infinitely radiating hope, love and life.

With Lucas' incredible gift

for finding beauty in everything in mind,

we wanted to close today by saying,

that if you are struggling with anything in life,

be it emotional, mental or physical,

it is okay to reach out to someone

and talk about the conflictions or distress you might feel.

Mental illness and emotional wellbeing

is too often stigmatized and it is important to recognize,

that it is human to deal with these struggles.

You are not alone and never will be alone

and we as a collective need to be there for each other,

if we are to make a change.

Life and happiness are worth fighting for.

On a similar note, if you know anyone,

who might be struggling within a turmoil,

even if it's the slightest signs or the subtlest of clues,

reach out to them and ask them how they are doing.

You never know when someone

could need that one person to pick them up,

a kind word or a friend to listen

can make an incredible difference.

Above all, remember that your life is valid,

no matter where you are right now,

you'll find a way forward

and be all the stronger for weathering the storm.

This is "Cold Case Detective."

(melodic piano music)