Missing at Sea: The Unsolved Disappearance of the Godard Family
In September 1999, 44-year-old Yves Godard and his two young children disappeared after renting a boat to go sailing. Authorities believe Godard murdered his wife and attempted to flee France
Background
What initially appeared to be a vacation sailing trip for a French family in September 1999 would become one of the most bizarre and baffling mysteries of the late twentieth century. Throughout the years, the case would take several strange twists and turns, and although it has never been officially resolved, French authorities closed the investigation in 2012, citing their belief that there would not be any new evidence that would change the facts of the case.
The Godard Family
In 1999, 44-year-old Dr. Yves Godard lived in the town of Pont-de-Juvigny with his second wife, Marie-France, also 44, and their two young children, 6-year-old Camille and 4-year-old Marius. The marriage was also Marie-France’s second, and she had a 15-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter from her first marriage, with whom she was very close and saw regularly.
Likewise, Yves had two sons, ages 15 and 17, from his first marriage. Yves and Marie-France were married in 1994 in a small ceremony attended only by close family. Friends of the couple described them as a good match who often preferred spending time together rather than going out with friends.
Dr. Yves Godard practiced acupuncture therapy in the town of Caen, approximately 15 miles (25 km) from Pont-de-Juvigny. He was reportedly dedicated to his work and his patients. However, his level of focus and dedication to his work allegedly became a source of tension in his marriage.
On August 31st, Yves unexpectedly canceled all his medical appointments for the day, finished up some paperwork, and took Camille and Marius fishing in a nearby pond, a favorite family activity. Those close to him later agreed that Yves adored his children, and they loved him—facts that only made what happened next even more bizarre.
September 1999
On September 1st, Yves drove to the oceanfront town of Saint-Malo with Camille and Marius. Yves had rented a boat two weeks earlier for this family trip. He parked his car, a Volkswagen Combi, in a port parking lot. They then boarded a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 30 sailboat named Nick.
Later, the rental agent would say he wondered why a man and two children were sailing off alone. He wondered whether Yves was divorced, but never asked. Yves did tell the agent that he and the children would return to port on September 5th. Before setting sail, Yves visited a nearby supermarket, where he bought plastic bags, cleaning supplies, and whiskey. He and the children were then seen around 11:30 am that day. The rental agent later stated he had no idea when the Nick finally sailed.
Strangely, a neighbor later stated that she saw the entire Godard family leave their home that morning. She said Marie-France was in the car, a statement she later retracted. Other friends admitted it would have been odd if Marie-France had agreed to the sailing trip. She disliked sailing and never joined Yves and the children.
On September 2nd, Nick was stopped by French customs agents patrolling the coast between Cape d’Erquy and Cape Fréhel. It was a routine search, and the agents found nothing out of the ordinary. One agent noticed a child asleep on the deck. When questioned, Yves stated his wife and another child were sleeping below. In hindsight, it seems odd that the customs agents did not go below deck to check on Marie-France and the other child.
Despite the calm search and Godard’s willingness to comply, the agents felt there was something “off” about him. They checked out his story with the boat rental agent in Saint Malo, who verified it. Between September 3rd and 5th, the Nick, Yves, and the children were seen multiple times in the Bay of Brehec. One woman, who ran a small food stand, spoke to Yves when he bought waffles for his children on the 3rd. Everything appeared normal.
A day later, on September 4th, hikers noticed the Nick seemingly abandoned in the water, not far from Minard Point off the coast of Plouézec (Brittany). On September 5th, an inflatable dinghy was found drifting off the Ile de Batz. It contained a jacket and a checkbook with Yves Godard’s name. That was the day Yves was supposed to return the boat, but he never showed up.
Suspicious Circumstances
Two days later, on September 7th, the Maritime Gendarmerie in Roscoff, the French equivalent of the U.S. Coast Guard, tried to find traces of the Nick or the Godard family. The boat was no longer floating off Minard Point. No distress signals had been sent, and signals to the boat went unanswered.
On September 7th, planes searched the area in hopes of finding any clues. An official investigation was opened, beginning with a search of Yves’s Volkswagen Combi parked in the port parking lot. Inside, the inspectors found heavy doses of morphine and traces of blood. A warrant was then obtained to search the family’s home.
The investigation was led by Judge Gérard Zaug at the court of Saint-Malo. Inside the family’s home, investigators found a note on the kitchen table in Yves’s handwriting. “We’re leaving for a few days; we’ll be back on Sunday.” It was signed Yves and Marie.
As authorities made their way upstairs, they found spatters of blood on the walls of the master bedroom. On the underside of the mattress, they found a large blood stain. The sink in the master bedroom had smears of blood, a bloody washcloth, and evidence that someone had tried to clean it up. A trail of blood stains led downstairs to the laundry room, where a bloody blanket had been thrown into the washing machine. The children’s rooms showed no evidence of foul play, and their school backpacks were neatly lined up, waiting for their return.
On September 10th, a judicial murder investigation was opened. Yves Godard was considered the prime suspect in the likely death of his wife, Marie-France. On September 16th, blood samples from the house and Yves’s car were matched to those of Marie-France Godard. No one had seen her since August 31st. Authorities believed Yves took the children and fled after killing her. Godard became the subject of an international arrest warrant.
Investigation
As investigators attempted to locate Dr. Yves Godard and his two children and to piece together what had occurred, they began looking into his past. They discovered that in 1996, Dr. Godard had his medical license suspended for three months. He had been accused of treating patients with some new and controversial medical treatments and prescribing drugs not allowed in France.
Dr. Godard had become very interested in hypnosis, magnet therapy, and even reincarnation. Although he tried to find support among other doctors he knew, many were turned off by his overbearing attitude.
Godard was eventually forced to begin a new practice, find new patients, and ask his wife, Marie-France, to become his secretary. Marie resented this, and it put a strain on their marriage. She would eventually be treated for depression. The couple often had violent arguments during which he accused Marie-France of cheating on him.
At the same time, Godard was also having financial problems. He owed the government money—over two million francs in back taxes —and every few days they would send a judicial officer to remind him of his debt. He had also joined a labor or trade-type union known as the CDCA, which encouraged its members not to contribute to the government and sometimes hinted at tax evasion, an idea which Yves supported.
