Missing French Hiker, Marion Hermier Parents in Dominica to Assist Police with Search

The parents of the French lady who went missing on February 4, Marion Hermier, are presently in Dominica. Hermier’s parents are on the Island to help police authorities with mounting a search for her on Saturday. The Dominica Police Force said French investigators will also be in Dominica over the weekend to search for the missing lady.

Reports have it that Hermier, 26, came to Dominica aboard a yacht to hike the Waitukubuli National Trail. The French yacht reportedly left Dominica for Guadeloupe on February 9 but without the hiker and she had been missing since then. Police and native volunteers have scoured the Scotts Head to the south and Capuchin to the north of the Island without locating her.

Police Superintendent Anthony Lawrence said a massive search effort will be launched to locate Hermier on Saturday. He said a French helicopter and a French canine unit have been deployed to Segments 4 and 5 of the Waitukubuli National Trail during the rescue operation. Police said the fact that Hermier was missing was not reported officially to the authorities on time and this affected response operations.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said he was not comfortable with the fact that the French yacht that brought her to Dominica left without her. He said he suspected foul-play and that the captain of the yacht should be questioned as to the whereabouts of the missing lady.

I think that while we are making efforts to search for the young lady here, it is difficult to search for her if we don’t know the particular area she went into hiking and I don’t think we should rule out foul play. So I think that this yacht and the yacht captain, who are now in Guadeloupe, or heading to Europe, should be held by the French authorities to give answers as to where the crew member has gone.

Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica

The prime minister expressed hopes that “We do hope and pray that she is safe somewhere and that she could be located whether in Dominica or Guadeloupe.”

Hermier’s parents described her as a resourceful and independent lady who always wanted to navigate the Waitukubuli National Trail. They expressed hope that their daughter would be found alive and well. They urged volunteers to turn out enmasse to help Dominican and French authorities with the search for their daughter.

This article is copyright © 2023 DOM767