Witness saw missing girls, searches continue

22 June 2006

BRUSSELS — A witness saw missing girls Stacy and Nathalie on the night they disappeared, but a search of a building in Liège found no trace of the step-sisters on Wednesday night.

Police searched the building at number 25 on the Quai Saint-Léonard after a witness told police on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning that the girls entered the building on the night of 9 June.

A large-scale search of the apartment building was carried out as officers from the disaster victim identification team, a helicopter, tracker dogs and countless numbers of police joined the search.

The residents of the building — located near the Bedford hotel — were questioned by police and the investigating judge was also at the scene as the search was conducted, but no trace of the girls was found.

Questioning and searches were to resume on Thursday as police continue to search for the missing girls, who disappeared almost two weeks ago.

Nathalie’s step-brothers were interrogated by police on Wednesday because authorities wanted to verify the information they gave a week ago. At that time, the 10-year-old’s step-brothers were still in a state of shock.

The mother of seven-year-old Stacy, Christiane Granziero, was also questioned by police on Wednesday.

The definite results of DNA tests on the clothes and possessions of the arrested suspect are not yet known. The initial tests gave a negative result, but the analysis has not been rounded off.

Meanwhile, suspect Abdallah Ait Oud has been appointed a second lawyer. Michel Bouchat will conduct the defence together with Jean-Dominique Franchimont. Bouchat, a Charleroi lawyer, is already involved in a large number of cases at the city court.

Subject: Belgian news