After a public call for information on investigators, a skier who vanished in the Italian Alps 64 years ago has been recognized.
According to the BBC, Henri Le Masne’s family contacted Italian police to suggest that the unidentified skier who was discovered dead in 2005 close to the Matterhorn mountain might be the Frenchman. In 1954, Le Masne had disappeared while on vacation. He was never located, but according to a police statement, 10,000 feet up in the Valtournenche valley of the Aosta region, close to the Swiss-Italian border, local officials recovered ski equipment and human remains.
A watch, spectacles, and other clothing bearing the owner’s initials were also discovered. According to officials, he was around thirty years old and five feet nine inches tall. He was thought to have passed away in the spring, and his fine equipment indicated that he was well off. Authorities believed he was French and that he died in the early 1950s based on the items discovered with the remains.
However, that information was insufficient. After trying every other option, investigators turned to social media for assistance. The prosecutor for the Aosta Valley requested users to share the information, particularly with those in France or Switzerland. The appeal was successful. Le Masne’s niece Emma Nassem learned of the news from a nearby radio station. She heard her uncle had vanished in the region during a storm around 64 years prior, so she called the police to inquire about his whereabouts. Le Masne was born in 1919, according to Nassem.
Before his tragic death on his 35th birthday, Le Masne adored the Alps and took multiple holidays there, according to Italian authorities. According to reports, he was well aware of the risks posed by the peaks, but he consistently assured his brother that he was unafraid and that he was drawn to the range’s independence and seclusion.
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