WEBVTT - Reissue: Five years missing: Eloi Rolland’s family holds onto hope for answers 0:00:19.059 --> 0:00:22.178 Kyota at Chelsea Daniels here, host of the Front Page. 0:00:22.379 --> 0:00:24.779 We're taking a week breakover summer, but to help fill 0:00:24.859 --> 0:00:28.499 the gap, we're reissuing some of our most significant episodes 0:00:28.539 --> 0:00:32.019 of twenty twenty five on behalf of the Front Page team. 0:00:32.138 --> 0:00:34.619 Thanks for listening and we look forward to being back 0:00:34.659 --> 0:00:37.539 with you on January twelfth, twenty twenty six. 0:00:44.259 --> 0:00:44.699 Kyota. 0:00:44.778 --> 0:00:47.819 I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a 0:00:47.899 --> 0:00:54.699 daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. French exchange 0:00:54.739 --> 0:00:57.939 student Elois Roland was last seen five. 0:00:57.819 --> 0:00:59.099 Years ago today. 0:00:59.499 --> 0:01:03.859 The then eighteen year old's disappearance has baffled authorities ever since. 0:01:04.339 --> 0:01:06.739 Was it murder, a kidnapping, an accident? 0:01:06.979 --> 0:01:09.619 Did he get lost in the bush, commit suicide or 0:01:09.619 --> 0:01:10.699 plan an escape? 0:01:11.139 --> 0:01:13.619 Is he still alive? Does he want to be found? 0:01:14.059 --> 0:01:17.419 He searches Google Maps for directions to Peeh about five 0:01:17.459 --> 0:01:21.499 am that morning, walks for nearly two hours. He turns 0:01:21.619 --> 0:01:24.738 onto Piha Road about nine to sixteen am, and at 0:01:24.859 --> 0:01:28.539 nine forty eight am the battery on his phone goes 0:01:28.619 --> 0:01:34.859 dead and then nothing nothing For five years. Today, on 0:01:34.899 --> 0:01:38.339 the Front Page, Herald's senior journalist an Elise joins us 0:01:38.378 --> 0:01:41.458 as we take a look back at Eloi's disappearance, we'll 0:01:41.499 --> 0:01:44.859 also hear some clips from my conversations with Aloa's parents, 0:01:44.899 --> 0:01:49.179 Tieri and Catmine, and Bruno du Bois of A Cappella Productions, 0:01:49.538 --> 0:01:53.459 who directed a documentary series in France about Lawa's story 0:01:57.538 --> 0:02:00.499 and Elois disappeared five years ago. 0:02:00.659 --> 0:02:02.698 Can you tell me a little bit about the investigation. 0:02:02.819 --> 0:02:06.619 Initially, police were able to ascertain that after he left 0:02:06.739 --> 0:02:09.179 his host family's home, which was on the north Shore, 0:02:09.299 --> 0:02:12.059 he came into town and got on a train who 0:02:12.059 --> 0:02:14.419 was sent at Britomart, the big transport center in Auckland, 0:02:14.779 --> 0:02:17.738 and then he was seen again on camera in West Auckland, 0:02:17.819 --> 0:02:21.099 and from there they know that he's probably walked ten 0:02:21.139 --> 0:02:24.259 kilometers to the area of Peiha Road. That's where his 0:02:24.299 --> 0:02:26.539 cell phone was tracked to and that's where it stopped. 0:02:27.019 --> 0:02:30.258 They checked that area extensively. They went through the bush, 0:02:30.339 --> 0:02:33.778 they went door knocking, they just did everything they could 0:02:33.819 --> 0:02:36.779 in that area to find traces of him, and there 0:02:36.819 --> 0:02:39.619 was just nothing. At some point later on they found 0:02:39.659 --> 0:02:41.779 a T shirt and that was sent off to be 0:02:41.819 --> 0:02:44.059 forensically tested, but wasn't his. 0:02:44.299 --> 0:02:46.899 There's been a lot of interest about his disappearance here, 0:02:46.939 --> 0:02:49.778 but also actually in France. I've spoken with the director there, 0:02:49.779 --> 0:02:53.779 Bruno d'u pois of a Cappella Productions, about a documentary 0:02:53.819 --> 0:02:56.259 series he actually did, and he's told me it's gotten 0:02:56.258 --> 0:02:58.179 a lot of traction over there. 0:02:58.779 --> 0:03:02.339 In France. We heard a lot about this toy because 0:03:02.379 --> 0:03:06.339 at this time it was COVID. I discover by Facebook 0:03:06.418 --> 0:03:10.299 and I was very concerned because it was very strange. 0:03:10.339 --> 0:03:13.259 We don't heard about this do it? And I think 0:03:13.379 --> 0:03:17.179 it was a very very big injustice. And they start 0:03:17.258 --> 0:03:20.939 to work about this. Toya meets the family and promised 0:03:20.939 --> 0:03:24.099 to help them to try to understand what's happened to Eloids. 0:03:24.258 --> 0:03:27.899 And after we have to wait for two years before 0:03:28.099 --> 0:03:30.939 can come to New Zealand because you know use Alund 0:03:31.019 --> 0:03:34.459 closing border to her to wait is a long way, 0:03:34.619 --> 0:03:37.859 a long time. It was very difficult for parents and 0:03:38.139 --> 0:03:42.139 as this time we can only work with internet. With 0:03:42.699 --> 0:03:47.738 his family, we tried to find everything about his life 0:03:47.939 --> 0:03:50.618 in New Zealand by such a networks activity. 0:03:50.819 --> 0:03:52.898 I think it's important to note el One went missing 0:03:52.939 --> 0:03:55.819 in the early days of COVID. Hey the week after 0:03:55.859 --> 0:04:00.379 he went missing, the who actually officially declared a global pandemic. 0:04:00.379 --> 0:04:03.739 This gives us some insight into how it's disappearance kind 0:04:03.779 --> 0:04:05.019 of flew under the radar a bit. 0:04:05.099 --> 0:04:08.259 Hey, yeah, it absolutely did. And a lot of people 0:04:08.299 --> 0:04:11.299 go missing in New Zealand and turn up later on. 0:04:11.379 --> 0:04:13.099 So there's a lot of stories that we do, a 0:04:13.139 --> 0:04:15.299 lot of press releases we get from policing. This person 0:04:15.379 --> 0:04:17.659 is missing and then a few hours later they've been found. 0:04:18.539 --> 0:04:21.259 We knew that Alwa hadn't been found, we knew that 0:04:21.259 --> 0:04:23.699 he was still missing, but also this huge, big pandemic 0:04:24.179 --> 0:04:26.059 was happening at the time, and a lot of things 0:04:26.099 --> 0:04:29.699 just became sort of secondary, I guess in the headlines, 0:04:30.379 --> 0:04:32.419 and that must have been so frustrating for his family 0:04:32.539 --> 0:04:34.099 being on the other side of the world. They can't 0:04:34.139 --> 0:04:38.219 get here to search themselves. But the police have assured 0:04:38.219 --> 0:04:40.779 that they've just done everything they can. They've chased every lead, 0:04:41.059 --> 0:04:43.019 any tip that's come in, they've looked at and if 0:04:43.059 --> 0:04:45.539 it's you know, if it's something they can work with, 0:04:45.619 --> 0:04:49.099 they have done that. But it was such an unprecedented 0:04:49.179 --> 0:04:51.619 and unknown time in the world, and I think that 0:04:51.779 --> 0:04:54.779 the events of COVID definitely took this over for sure. 0:04:55.259 --> 0:04:58.339 And again, I just cannot imagine someone in my family 0:04:58.339 --> 0:04:59.819 being missing on the other side of the world and 0:04:59.859 --> 0:05:02.259 not being able to physically go there and look for 0:05:02.299 --> 0:05:05.499 them myself and see the area and understand what might 0:05:05.499 --> 0:05:06.139 have been going on. 0:05:06.259 --> 0:05:09.899 So Elua came to New Zealand to study English, and 0:05:09.939 --> 0:05:12.219 as far as his family was aware, he didn't actually 0:05:12.259 --> 0:05:15.779 have any previous mental health concerns. But what kind of 0:05:15.779 --> 0:05:19.579 behavior did he exhibit while he was here, so there were. 0:05:19.419 --> 0:05:22.659 No red flags for his host family. He had planned 0:05:22.699 --> 0:05:25.619 to go home earlier. He changed his flights to go 0:05:25.699 --> 0:05:29.139 home earlier in the month. I think he was Judigo 0:05:29.179 --> 0:05:30.739 home in late May, and he changed his flight to 0:05:30.739 --> 0:05:33.259 the twenty first. He told friends that he was homesick. 0:05:33.379 --> 0:05:35.699 He felt very lonely here and he was missing friends 0:05:36.139 --> 0:05:39.299 and family. He wanted to just go back to France. 0:05:39.459 --> 0:05:42.659 And he was actually really excited because he had a 0:05:42.739 --> 0:05:44.819 test coming up to get into the Air Force and 0:05:44.859 --> 0:05:46.379 he wanted to go back and do that early and 0:05:46.619 --> 0:05:48.659 move on with that. So he was a young person 0:05:48.699 --> 0:05:51.499 with plans and he was excited about his future. But 0:05:51.539 --> 0:05:53.779 at the same time he was homesick. He was, you know, 0:05:53.899 --> 0:05:56.099 speaking about loneliness, and you know, there were some other 0:05:56.139 --> 0:05:58.339 things going on. You know, I think there had been 0:05:58.379 --> 0:06:01.699 a romantic situation that hadn't gone his way, and understandably 0:06:01.739 --> 0:06:04.619 he wasn't feeling great. But even so, his friends that 0:06:04.659 --> 0:06:08.579 he spoke to regularly didn't have any sort of huge 0:06:08.619 --> 0:06:10.699 concerns about him at the time. 0:06:14.899 --> 0:06:17.699 So Bruno, the director I spoke to, actually said from 0:06:17.699 --> 0:06:20.539 the videos that he had seen, they thought maybe it 0:06:20.659 --> 0:06:25.019 was schizophrenia, because you start developing those symptoms around that age. 0:06:25.419 --> 0:06:27.659 But he did say that he's not a psychologist and 0:06:27.699 --> 0:06:30.379 it could have been something else like depression. In the 0:06:30.419 --> 0:06:33.539 months leading up to his disappearance, he had apparently fallen 0:06:33.579 --> 0:06:35.379 in love with a French girl at his class. She 0:06:35.419 --> 0:06:39.019 had a boyfriend who arrived in December. His teacher said 0:06:39.139 --> 0:06:42.779 his mood changes, he started acting weird. He was sacked 0:06:42.779 --> 0:06:45.939 from two restaurant jobs. At one of them, security took 0:06:45.939 --> 0:06:48.699 a video of him ranting and raving after being thrown out, 0:06:49.219 --> 0:06:51.299 and he sends a video to his parents saying the 0:06:51.339 --> 0:06:54.618 owner of the hotel he worked at created the coronavirus 0:06:54.619 --> 0:06:58.339 and said that he wanted to quote kill him. One 0:06:58.379 --> 0:07:02.819 thing though, for certain, is that Elois felt alone. 0:07:03.619 --> 0:07:08.178 All those students start to judge him, has some strange 0:07:08.259 --> 0:07:11.139 guy and if you work very alone. At this time, 0:07:11.499 --> 0:07:16.339 he start to the publication on Facebook and Mastagram, strength 0:07:16.619 --> 0:07:21.979 very long, very politive about his bad feeling, his sad feeling. 0:07:22.099 --> 0:07:24.699 He was as sick, but he said a lot, he 0:07:24.859 --> 0:07:28.379 said a lot in the social network. Everybody around him, 0:07:28.619 --> 0:07:32.939 especially for those students in US school, rejected him and 0:07:33.019 --> 0:07:36.179 don't help him. And I think there is something with 0:07:36.299 --> 0:07:40.179 more kind of kindness. Maybe somebody can help him and say, Okay, 0:07:41.019 --> 0:07:44.579 you are sick. We can go in the hospitality or 0:07:44.659 --> 0:07:47.979 doctor and we will help you. That's what happened. 0:07:48.139 --> 0:07:52.579 You think basically he was acting strange. He may have 0:07:52.859 --> 0:07:57.499 developed some kind of mental health condition, like perhaps schizophrenia, 0:07:57.699 --> 0:08:04.419 and that kind of explains his rational behavior. What clues 0:08:04.699 --> 0:08:08.739 did you find by looking through his social media accounts. 0:08:09.139 --> 0:08:10.499 We found a lot of things and a lot of 0:08:10.579 --> 0:08:14.859 mysage message he was very alone. He feels very alone, 0:08:14.939 --> 0:08:18.659 and nobody else helps him. He sent a lot, a 0:08:18.699 --> 0:08:21.819 lot and a lot of message and story. And when 0:08:21.859 --> 0:08:25.019 somebody do that, obviously it's for to caull help. 0:08:25.339 --> 0:08:27.419 Yeah. 0:08:27.739 --> 0:08:32.259 In one message, he's said by a voice message, everybody 0:08:32.739 --> 0:08:35.939 can see I need help, but they don't. He said 0:08:35.979 --> 0:08:42.539 it what is also very sad that he understanding himself. 0:08:42.539 --> 0:08:45.979 He has some trouble. He wondered himself about what's happened 0:08:45.979 --> 0:08:48.219 to him, and he said it. He said it a 0:08:48.259 --> 0:08:53.379 lot on story by voice message, but everybody wiljecting nobody had. 0:09:05.699 --> 0:09:10.338 And what have police said about the investigation into Elwa's disappearance. 0:09:10.539 --> 0:09:13.139 Look, they've said all along that it remains open, that 0:09:13.218 --> 0:09:15.778 they will follow up any line of inquiry in it. 0:09:16.419 --> 0:09:19.339 You know, in cases like this, they don't stay active 0:09:19.338 --> 0:09:22.299 on a daily basis. You know, police can only do 0:09:22.338 --> 0:09:23.939 so much and then they have to sort of move 0:09:23.978 --> 0:09:26.179 to the next phase of an investigation. So while this 0:09:26.259 --> 0:09:28.499 is never closed, there's not a whole team working on 0:09:28.539 --> 0:09:30.578 it every day. They have promised though that if there 0:09:30.659 --> 0:09:34.259 is new information, they'll act on it. And you know, 0:09:34.498 --> 0:09:36.859 it's a hard part of New Zealand when someone goes 0:09:36.899 --> 0:09:39.458 missing out on that west coast. And I don't think 0:09:39.458 --> 0:09:42.859 a lot of people understand that the area our bush 0:09:42.978 --> 0:09:46.019 is intense. It's not just a little forest, it's not 0:09:46.098 --> 0:09:51.179 just some trees. It's really heavy forestation and it's a 0:09:51.218 --> 0:09:56.219 really precarious sort of you know ground and terrain, and 0:09:56.299 --> 0:10:00.059 police can only do so much they employ search and 0:10:00.098 --> 0:10:04.539 rescue professionals, they use dogs, they drones now and heat 0:10:04.618 --> 0:10:07.099 seeking drones, and they've got so many ways to look 0:10:07.139 --> 0:10:09.258 for people and they employ all of those in a 0:10:09.299 --> 0:10:12.419 case like this. They've always said they won't close this 0:10:12.539 --> 0:10:16.259 case until or unless they, you know, have really good 0:10:16.299 --> 0:10:18.299 reason to. There have been other cases of people that 0:10:18.338 --> 0:10:20.778 have gone missing in that area, and after a while, 0:10:20.819 --> 0:10:23.378 the only sort of logical conclusion is that they have 0:10:23.458 --> 0:10:26.739 passed away, and those cases have been referred to the coroner. 0:10:27.179 --> 0:10:31.978 Aloa's case hasn't yet, and police have assured his family 0:10:32.098 --> 0:10:35.218 and us, you know, multiple times that in any new 0:10:35.259 --> 0:10:38.019 information they will act on and it remains open and 0:10:38.059 --> 0:10:40.659 anyone with information is encouraged to come forward. 0:10:40.899 --> 0:10:46.299 So documentary filmmaker Dupois and the Rolands, they think that 0:10:46.338 --> 0:10:50.418 there are endless scenarios about what could have happened to Elois. 0:10:50.419 --> 0:10:53.419 We already can't know what's happened to you. We already 0:10:53.738 --> 0:10:57.939 can not because we have no information, no clues. So 0:10:58.218 --> 0:11:03.139 I'm not sure. I think maybe my conviction is Issues 0:11:03.259 --> 0:11:08.098 is shoes to live. But probably it went bad, I 0:11:08.098 --> 0:11:11.099 think in first issues, but probably it went bad. But 0:11:11.539 --> 0:11:15.779 I'm sure you know suicide and maybe what he's missing. 0:11:15.819 --> 0:11:21.138 Now it's a criminal investigation, but we have no fact 0:11:21.299 --> 0:11:25.258 that investigation, but we have no fact for missing, for suicidal, 0:11:25.299 --> 0:11:29.379 and the fact as a believer as a bush. 0:11:30.019 --> 0:11:33.459 So the detective in charge of the investigation told The 0:11:33.498 --> 0:11:36.619 Herald in twenty twenty two he thought it was unlikely 0:11:36.659 --> 0:11:39.338 that Aloa made it to the Black Sands of Piha Beach. 0:11:39.379 --> 0:11:43.098 He said, my thoughts are still the bush. He's potentially 0:11:43.179 --> 0:11:45.498 tried to take a shortcut to the beach and didn't 0:11:45.539 --> 0:11:50.019 realize how far that would be and overestimated his abilities. 0:11:50.338 --> 0:11:53.299 He said, it's pretty gnarly in there. It is possible 0:11:53.338 --> 0:11:56.098 he's just thought, well, it's like a straight line down there, 0:11:56.098 --> 0:11:58.419 so it shouldn't be a problem, and maybe he's gotten 0:11:58.419 --> 0:12:00.378 into some grief in the bush somewhere. 0:12:00.578 --> 0:12:02.858 The police have always told me that they're keeping an 0:12:02.899 --> 0:12:07.179 open mind. Obviously the area Aloi has gone missing in 0:12:07.259 --> 0:12:10.859 or was last seen, and is that really intense bush 0:12:11.218 --> 0:12:14.019 sort of area. There's lots of places out there where 0:12:14.059 --> 0:12:17.939 people can slip and fall and have accidents and may 0:12:18.019 --> 0:12:21.898 not necessarily be found quickly. Now there's people out there 0:12:21.899 --> 0:12:26.258 that have never been found, unfortunately, but police are open 0:12:26.299 --> 0:12:29.299 to any any theory or any you know, they've not 0:12:29.338 --> 0:12:32.259 shut down anything. There's no signs of foul play, there's 0:12:32.259 --> 0:12:35.459 no signs of any sort of kidnap or you know, 0:12:35.498 --> 0:12:39.578 suspicious circumstance. But equally, if someone came forward with information, 0:12:40.059 --> 0:12:42.259 you know, the police have said that they will investigate that. 0:12:44.019 --> 0:12:47.699 I just can't imagine what it's like for Aloi's family to, 0:12:48.179 --> 0:12:51.139 as I said, not be able to come here and 0:12:51.218 --> 0:12:54.419 to know and have that closure. There's just so many 0:12:54.498 --> 0:12:59.299 unknowns for them, and you know, unsurprisingly, they must constantly 0:12:59.338 --> 0:13:02.939 think about different ways and means that he's gone missing, 0:13:02.978 --> 0:13:04.859 and that must be absolutely torturing for them. 0:13:05.098 --> 0:13:06.619 Thanks for joining us, Anna, Thank you. 0:13:11.498 --> 0:13:15.898 I spoke with Aniwa's parents, Tieri and Katerine, and they 0:13:15.939 --> 0:13:19.578 came to New Zealand in twenty twenty two. They appealed 0:13:19.578 --> 0:13:22.458 to the public for any information about their son, and 0:13:22.498 --> 0:13:25.899 they told me the five years since Elawa's disappearance just 0:13:25.939 --> 0:13:27.418 feels like five days. 0:13:27.819 --> 0:13:32.499 We are we are very we feel very heartbreaking, very worry. 0:13:32.738 --> 0:13:38.379 On the It's very difficult since it's disciplined every day, 0:13:38.618 --> 0:13:43.179 every night, really think to a war. It's very difficult 0:13:43.498 --> 0:13:47.738 because we have not news of the war because of 0:13:48.458 --> 0:13:53.179 the investigation. Police are very difficult for home, it's not 0:13:53.498 --> 0:13:59.778 easy to communicate and every every day, the week, every month, 0:14:00.098 --> 0:14:04.618 we try to keep the contact with New Zealand the authority. 0:14:05.338 --> 0:14:07.819 What do you think happens? 0:14:08.299 --> 0:14:14.218 In fact we always it is safe and in good health, 0:14:15.618 --> 0:14:20.819 but it's very difficult. We have done everything to keep 0:14:21.419 --> 0:14:23.379 open police investigations. 0:14:25.099 --> 0:14:28.819 The police did a lot of such in the area 0:14:29.019 --> 0:14:35.419 where i Wa disappeared, but she didn't find anything and 0:14:35.619 --> 0:14:38.619 we we still don't know what what happened. 0:14:39.099 --> 0:14:43.859 I have spoken with police and they say the file 0:14:44.339 --> 0:14:48.659 remains open and to the disappearance of al Wir el 0:14:48.739 --> 0:14:53.019 Wa is still a missing person and police continue to 0:14:53.179 --> 0:14:55.178 follow up any news. 0:14:55.859 --> 0:14:57.059 We are very greatful. 0:14:57.379 --> 0:15:01.499 We are very grateful because for us, it's very important 0:15:01.579 --> 0:15:06.059 that I war stay in the in the main and 0:15:06.259 --> 0:15:10.339 the main of of the people on the world, on 0:15:10.379 --> 0:15:14.778 the earth. The most important is that the people remember 0:15:15.739 --> 0:15:21.099 ill war because perhaps y yeah, do you have a testimony? 0:15:22.099 --> 0:15:22.739 We don't know. 0:15:26.419 --> 0:15:29.539 That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You 0:15:29.579 --> 0:15:33.339 can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage 0:15:33.419 --> 0:15:37.459 at enzidherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is 0:15:37.459 --> 0:15:41.219 produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also 0:15:41.379 --> 0:15:46.019 a sound engineer. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to the front 0:15:46.059 --> 0:15:49.619 page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and 0:15:49.739 --> 0:15:53.739 tune in on Monday for another look behind the headlines.