Former police officer Cedric Prizzon, 42, who had been missing since Friday, March 20, 2026, after the disappearance of several people in the village of Vailhourles (population 650), has been arrested in Portugal on Tuesday evening.
His two children – Elio, 12 and a half years old, and his half-sister younger than two years – were found safe with him. However, the fate of the two women remains unknown: his ex-partner Audrey, 40, Elio’s mother, and his current partner, the baby’s mother, are still missing after five days.
The man was placed in custody for illegal possession of a weapon according to information from our colleagues at Midi Libre.
An investigation for the abduction and sequestration of several people had been opened by the Montpellier prosecutor’s office. The disappearance was reported by a family member of Audrey, who had not shown up for work at an insurance company and whose son was absent from school.
A repeat offender deprived of his visitation rights
Residing in Savignac (Aveyron), Cedric Prizzon had previously been convicted for failure to show up for child visits and harassment of his ex-partner. He had been deprived of his visitation rights. In 2021, he had illegally gone to Spain with his son for several weeks.
According to a source close to the case, this former rugby league player had taken part in a hunger strike with other fathers who had lost custody of their children in front of the Rodez courthouse and had protested in front of the Villefranche-de-Rouergue town hall.
On social media, he claimed that his son was “in danger” with his mother.
In this complex case, all hypotheses, including homicide, were considered from the start. Significant resources were deployed in Aveyron and Tarn-et-Garonne: about sixty gendarmes, drones, helicopters, canine teams, and divers searched lakes and rivers.
A search notice was sent to neighboring countries, with the possibility of a foreign escape being quickly raised.
