French judicial authorities have opened a formal investigation into the disappearance of Clément Besneville, a French national who went missing in Morocco in April 2024. The Melun public prosecutor's office confirmed the opening of a judicial investigation for kidnapping and sequestration on April 3, 2026.
Besneville, a 37-year-old from the Seine-et-Marne department, vanished on April 7, 2024, while on a trip to Morocco. His family reported him missing after he failed to return from a visit to the coastal town of Oualidia, located south of Casablanca.
The new judicial investigation, led by an investigating magistrate, aims to advance the case beyond the initial preliminary inquiry. This legal step grants investigators broader powers to collect evidence and issue international requests for judicial cooperation with Moroccan authorities.
To date, Moroccan police investigations have not determined Besneville's fate or location. The French investigation seeks to bring new leads to a case that has seen little public progress in the two years since his disappearance.
