Toulon Prosecutor’s Office Seeks Further Possible Victims in Case of Two Missing Soldiers

Toulon – 21/07/2026: Two missing young soldiers, two discovery sites and bone remains whose identities have not yet been established: the Toulon Prosecutor’s Office has issued a new call for witnesses in an exceptionally serious investigation. Authorities are seeking information about other people from Pacific islands who may have disappeared in the Var department or lost contact with relatives there under unusual circumstances.

The investigation centers on two men who are believed to have last shown signs of life in 2022 and 2023 respectively. One of them was from Noumea, New Caledonia, and, according to the information known so far, was undergoing naval training in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer. The other, born in Papeete, French Polynesia, had enlisted in the Foreign Legion. His family is also said to have heard nothing from him since May 2023.

At the end of May, human bones were discovered at two different sites in the neighboring department of Bouches-du-Rhone. Whether they can be linked to either of the two missing men remains unclear. Investigations ordered by the prosecutor’s office are continuing; according to information from the case, analysis results are expected before the end of July. Until a reliable forensic identification has been made, conclusions about the identities of the dead would be premature.

The investigation had already led to action against members of a family living in Var at the end of May. Several suspects are under judicial investigation. The allegations include, among other things, organized human trafficking and unlawful detention; three family members are also suspected of two killings. Five suspects are in pretrial detention, while another suspect is under judicial supervision. All are presumed innocent.

According to investigators, other young soldiers from French overseas territories may have stayed with the family between 2011 and 2023. Seven of them reportedly said that their identity documents and means of payment had gradually been taken away from them; they also described violence and confinement. These accounts are the subject of the ongoing investigation and have not yet been conclusively assessed by a court.

The new appeal shows that the justice system is not limiting the case to the two known missing persons. People who are living in mainland France or beginning their service far away from their families for the first time may be particularly dependent on reliable contacts. The Prosecutor’s Office is therefore asking anyone with specific observations or information to contact the investigating authorities.

The investigation is continuing under the direction of an investigating judge. For the families of the missing men, one question remains paramount: whether the bone discoveries will provide certainty. Forensic work is now expected to provide the answer – objectively, reliably and without prematurely taking away all hope from those affected.