Frozen Bodies Found in Swiss Glacier
The mystery of the missing Swiss couple 75 years ago was finally solved after a discovery of their mummified bodies in the Alps glacier on Wednesday.
A resort worker stumbled upon the frozen bodies of a man and a woman during routine maintenance. The frozen corpses were found near a slew of trendy ski resorts at 2,600 metres above sea level.
Glacier 3000 resort director Bernhard Tschannen confirmed the discovery of the mummified bodies who are close together in an interview with Radio Television Swisse.
Tschannen said, “From afar, it looked like small rocks, but there were too many in the same place.”
But with a closer look, Tschannen saw a collection of frozen accessories such as the couple’s well-preserved World War II-era clothes, a book and a watch.
In August 15, 1942, the Swiss couple set out across a glacier to milk their cows. But the Swiss shoemaker and his wife disappeared without a trace. They never returned home to their family, including their seven children.
After the tragedy, the seven Dumoulin children – five boys and two girls – were separated and went to live with families in the area.
Identified Through DNA Testing
The mummified bodies of the Swiss couple were airlifted from the Alps after the discovery. Through a series of DNA tests, the police formally identified the two mummified bodies as those of Marcelin Dumoulin, 40, and his wife, Francine, a 37-year-old teacher.
Stéphane Vouardoux, a spokesman for the police in the canton of Valais, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that DNA testing had confirmed that the bodies were the Dumoulins.
Vouardoux said, “It is definitely them – until now, all we had was hope. This, once and for all, puts an end to a story that has deeply marked the village. For years, people have been asking questions: ‘What happened to them? Why couldn’t we find them?’ Now we know the truth.”
Many believed the couple had died in an accident. The couple likely fell into a crevasse in the glacier, where their bodies were held, perfectly intact, for seven decades.
The Children Have Spoken
The couple’s two surviving daughters were informed about the discovery of the bodies of their missing parents. Both expressed a sense of closure after decades of searching and looking for answers.
Udry-Dumoulin, the youngest of seven children born to Marcelin and Francine, told Swiss paper “Le Matin” their children had never stopped looking for them.
Marceline said, “We spent our whole lives looking for them, without stopping. We thought that we could give them the funeral they deserved one day.” she said.
Another daughter, Monique Gautschy-Dumoulin, recalled the last moments before her parents vanished 75 years ago in an interview on Radio Television Swisse (RTS). It was a nice day and her father was in jolly mood. But, that was the last time Monique would see either of her parents.
