Search between Saint Prex and Morges will continue Friday
Police step up investigation into father’s presence in the area 30 January, seek new witnesses to black A6 Audi
Matthias Schepp was driving an Audi A6 Avant, similar to this one, the day the girls disappeared
Police are asking for witnesses who may have seen an Audi like this 30 January, with Matthias Schepp, near Morges
Geneva / Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A massive new effort poured into the hunt for missing six-year-olds, Alessia and Livia Schepp, failed to turn up anything Thursday, despite high-tech equipment used to comb the search area and 13 specially trained dogs and their handlers from three countries, working with a team of 140 persons.
Vaud police organized the search, using 11 dogs that are trained particularly to hunt for bodies, after a man provided new, reliable information in early April that he had seen a man dragging a suitcase in the Boiron beach area about 16:00 Sunday 30 January. The information fit some of the “technical” aspects of the case already in police hands.
The beach, which straddles the boundary between Tolochenaz and Saint Prex, to the west of Morges, has long been a popular gay and nudist beach, but since police began to enforce a CHF500 fine ordinance for nudism the beach has become quieter, and in winter there are few people.
Boiron beach, roped off, with police guard: a lonely stretch of Lake Geneva shore (click on image to view larger)
The area was blocked off on land Thursday, as was the water around the beach, to allow the search to move ahead. Police used a a multibeam swath bathymetry system to sound the river and lake area where the river enters Lake Geneva, as well as an underwater remote-operated vehicle to check the area around the mouth of the river. Dog teams went over the beach area, carrying out a “ minutieuse” search after two St Hubert dogs from the Lausanne municipal police checked and failed to find any traces of Matthias Schepp, the father, in the area.
The Vaud police criminal investigation unit Thursday began new inquiries in the nearby area, looking for possible witnesses – at local dumps, professional fishermen, animal protection and fish protection authorities, rifle practice stands, etc. – who are often in the area or in areas close to the one being searched.
They are asking that anyone who might have information of interest contact the criminal investigation team at +41 21 644 8888. In particular, they would like to talk to anyone who might have seen the father of the twins and his car, a black Audi A6 Avant, in or near Morges, Sunday 30 January.
The police press release notes that:
“The team involved in roping off the area and in the search itself comprised: 55 men from the police in canton Vaud (gendarmes, inspectors and Lake Brigade specialists), 70 colleagues from the Vaud Civil Protection unit, 2 Canton Geneva Police Lake Brigade specialists, 11 dog handlers with 13 dogs from: the Austrian Police Dog unit with 6 men and 6 dogs (Diensthundewesen der Bundespolizei Oesterreich), the national dog tracking investigation unit from the French Gendarmerie in Gramat (2 men, 3 dogs), the Bern police (1 man with his dog) and Canton Zurich Police (1 man with his dog), as well as the Lausanne municipal police (1 man and 2 dogs), in addition to 2 police officers from the Morges commune police and 2 firefighters from the SPSL with a boat.”
Police boat guards the water near spot where Boiron empties into Lake Geneva, with Morges and west Lausanne in the background; St Sulpice, where the girls lived, is off to the right,further along the lake
The famous Barry dogs from the St Bernard hospice, can be visited during the summer, 10-18:00 daily. Hikes with them start in July.
Location: St Bernard pass, Martigny
Link out: http://www.fondation-barry.ch/%28S%28dqrjax20vh…
Start date: 10 Jun 2010
End date: 12 Sep 2010
[Video, El Comercio] Domingo Pianezzi has spent weeks teaching his pet alpaca, Pisco, to ride the waves off the shores of Peru. Pianezzi, who also teaches dogs, cats, and other animals including a hamster to surf, was inspired by seeing kangaroos and koalas surf in Australia, he told Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. Pisco doesn’t appear to have mastered the big waves yet, however. As for learning to hang ten, he has only four toes, which might make it a tricky maneuver.
Swiss Alpine forests: not suitable for drunken walks in winter (view from Aigle)
Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A rescue team at 06:20 Wednesday morning 17 February found a man in his early twenties on an extremely steep slope below the ice rink in Villars-sur-Ollon. He had lost his shoes and was not wearing a coat when he was found nearly four hours after he went missing during a night of visiting bars with a group of friends. The friends of the young man, who is from Vaud, phoned emergency number 117 when they realized he was missing, and made it clear that he had had too much to drink. A sizable rescue operation got underway: four people from the local mountain rescue service, three area police patrols, a dog rescue team, an ambulance and a helicopter were called out.
He was walking in 50 to 60cm of snow when he was found near a stream that he had been following.
It might not be easy to cover his ears
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The annual Swiss country-wide siren tests take place Wednesday 3 February between 13:30 and 15:00, so be prepared: they can be very loud. You don’t need to take any special precautions, according to the federal government, but mind your dog and keep a woolly cap handy to cover your ears.
The country’s system of general alert sirens, which can be used for natural disasters or those caused by people, will be tested, along with a second system of water alarms for lakes and rivers.
Happy and legal in Lausanne
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Swiss customs officials say they will be sending a large bill plus fine, for an unspecified amount, to a woman in eastern Switzerland for illegally importing 12 dogs and selling them to unsuspecting buyers. The dogs did not have their rabies shots and the woman had not paid a value-added tax for imported animals. The anti-fraud unit alerted customs authorities after seeing her ads on the Internet for dogs of various breeds.
The federal customs office says its has caught 453 people bringing dogs into the country illegally since 2005, with the animals often in a “deplorable state”.
Title: Canine rally
Location: Echandens, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: A fun day for your dog (and you too!). Dogs participate in activities and even an obedience class is given.
Date: 14 Jun 2009
The Swiss government has issued a booklet (2 February 2009) for dog owners that details their responsibilities, part of a series of measures to ensure that dogs are trained and treated properly. Linked to this, the government is developing what will become an obligatory course for all owners of dogs.
Title: Dog sled competition
Location: St. Cerge, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Two-day event. For those wanting to learn: courses are offered.
Start Date: 17 Jan 2009
End Date: 18 Jan 2009
Trees, humans, dogs: Lake Geneva Switzerland 19 November 2008
Quick quiz, not too tough: are there more tree trunks or human legs or dog paws here?
And while you’re reflecting on it, check out the GenevaLunch photo albums, including the newest, the Lake Geneva collection.
As with most GenevaLunch photos, you can view it larger by clicking on the image.
